A vision of Britain through time
A vision of Britain from 1801 to now.
Including maps, statistical trends and historical descriptions.
A vision of Britain through time
A vision of Britain from 1801 to now.
Including maps, statistical trends and historical descriptions.
| Status: | Casual Wards |
| Identifier: | CasualWd |
| Description: | In London and Manchester, the "casual wards" providing accomodation to vagrants were centrally managed and reported on seperately from the individual Unions. | Number of units in system: | 0 |
| Geographical Level: | 8 (Higher-level District) |
| ADL Feature Type: | countries, 3rd order divisions |
| Is a status within: | Poor Law Union/Reg. District |
The History of the Workhouse site says: "The Casual Poor (usually known just as "Casuals") were those to which a workhouse gave temporary accommodation for one or two nights. Casuals -- typically vagrants, tramps, or the "houseless poor" -- did not need to be settled in the union. They were required to perform a task of work such as stone-breaking or oakum-picking being allowed to leave. Casuals were [generally] housed in a separate area of the workhouse, usually near the entrance, known as the casual ward. ... In London and a few other large cities, casual wards were sometimes erected on separate sites." (http://www.workhouses.org.uk/glossary/#Casuals, accessed 20/9/2017). A footnote to the 1922 Ministry of Health "Persons in Receipt of Poor Relief" report states "The casual wards in London are under the control of the Managers of the Metropolitan Asylum District. The unions to which the persons in receipt of relief in those wards may be chargeable have not been ascertained.