| Description | The Test House sub-committee was formed in October 1880, in the wake of the Branch Workhouse sub-committee (see GP/2/3/6, above). The creation of a separate 'test house' followed on from an experiment at the Poplar workhouse, whereby inmates were separated into different categories and sent to neighbouring Unions, leaving only the able-bodied at Poplar. Here, the labour test was rigorously enforced, and diet and discipline were much more severe than that in other workhouses. Any spare capacity in Poplar workhouse was offered to other London unions, who could then give their able-bodied poor 'an order for Poplar,' which was meant to act as a more efficient deterrent.
The Birmingham Guardians (along with those in Kensington, Manchester and Sheffield) continued the experiment by building a test house on Lansdowne Street close to the existing workhouse. The harsh regime is reflected in this volume of minutes, with much of the material concerning the work given to inmates, including oakum picking, stone breaking and wood chopping. The sub-committee was also responsible for the appointment of staff for the test house, and the issuing of tenders for supplies, and these too are included. However, the experiment was only short-lived, the minutes only continue up until 1889, at which point the test house was closed down. Many of the workhouse inmates had been transferred to the infirmary, and with the extra room now created the sub-committee felt that the test house inmates could be moved into the main workhouse. However, whilst the surroundings may have changed, the sub-committee made it quite clear that the inmates were still to be held 'under Test House rules,' and subject to the same harsh labour. The volume is not indexed. |