A Grim Almanac of The Workhouse, By Peter Higginbotham

For two centuries, the shadow of the workhouse hung over Britain. The recourse of only the most desperate, the workhouse spawned dark and terrible tales of malnutrition, misery, mistreatment, mutilation and murder, which ran like wildfire through the poorer classes, who faced  the terror of being forced inside the institution’s towering walls.

This book contains over 400 incredible tales of fires, drownings, explosions and disasters, infamous scandals such as the Andover affair – where starving inmates resorted to eating rotting scraps of flesh left on the bones they were supposed to be pounding – and sickening tales of abuse, assault, body snatching, poisonings, post-mortems, suicides and murder. Accompanied by 70 rare and wonderful illustrations, this book will thrill, fascinate, sadden and unnerve in equal measure.

Paperback 238 pages ISBN 978 0 7524 8739 5