Children in the work house

[Katie7]

does anyone know why children would end up in the workhouse?
In 1851 my relative is a widow with 3 children. In 1861 she is living with 2 of her children and a boarder.
Between 1851 and 1861 she had two more children both of which are in the workhouse with her other younger son.
Would they automatically have ended up in the workhouse if they were illegitimate or could there have been another reason - although they did take her late husbands name.
It would be pointless me sending for the birth certificate of the child born in 1853 if it is only going to say illigitimate on the birth certificate.
Thanks in advance for your help.

[garybfsl]

If they had no way of surporting themselves they would end up in the workhouse. Usually this was only temporary. It would have nothing to do with illegitimacy, although if she had two children after she became a widow and she did not remarry they would be illigitimate!

[DottyH]

It may well be worth looking at the Parish Registers or the Quarter Session records.
It is maybe a little late to find filiation orders or b@stardy orders as they were called earlier. The woman may have had to have a verbal examination before the poor law administrators to give detail on the father, who may then have been ordered to support the children, as I say, it may have been a little late in the century for that.

The parish registers may show an entry by the incumbant that names a likely father, often the case, it depends on where they lived, if in the city of london then it is unlikely, as church attendance was dropping rapidly, but if in a rural parish or small town, quite possibly there is a notation in the register.

The Poor Law Union that ran the workhouse may also have an entry in their admissions register, which should survive in the county record office covering that poor law administration district.

One other way is to see if any of the children gave a fathers name other than their mothers late husband on their marriage certificate, but again, it is an expense if you are not sure it contains any info, what you could do is ask the registrar's clerk to only send the marriage certificate if the information on it includes a father's name.

[delrich]

Whilst I was trying to find my grandfather the info moved me towards the same problem as you.I contacted the Sheffied records office and gave me a good piece of info."People either went to the workhouse or children into care because of their inability to afford to keep themselves or their children.Whilst it was a stigma in their times it became very common.Records exist for both workhouse and homes.
If you want the link let me know

[Katie7]

Thanks delrich, if you can give me the link that would be great. I have looked before on a site and it's Dewsbury workhouse which didn't have any listings for it as yet.