| Description | It is unclear when the Oakum Room sub-committee was founded. From the minutes themselves, and the resolutions inserted with them, it would appear that the sub-committee was under the authority of the Visiting and General Purposes committee. It consisted of 11 Guardians, and was responsible for the oakum room premises situated on Great Charles Street.
Oakum-picking was a common task assigned to workhouse inmates, and involved the untwisting and pulling to pieces of old ships' ropes. Rather than a job designed to generate income for the union, it was used purely to keep the paupers active and, as outlined in the original Amendment Act, was designed to act as a deterrent and render the workhouse test more stringent. Towards the end of the last century, the Local Government Board attempted to discourage its use, and in 1898 they instructed their general inspectors to urge boards of Guardians to discontinue it.
The Birmingham Union's oakum rooms referred to in the minutes were located on Great Charles Street, some distance from the workhouse. No evidence of an oakum room at the workhouse itself has been uncovered so far, but this may also have existed.
As with the Able Bodied Women's sub-committee (see GP B/2/3/9, above), the numbers of people employed in oakum picking are referred to but never actually given. The paupers were again examined by the committee regarding their current level of relief, and as a result some references to individuals are contained within the minutes. The volumes are not indexed. |