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workhouse Definition

work·house (-ho̵us′)

noun

  1. Obsolete a workshop (sense )
  2. Historical in England, a poorhouse in which able residents had to work
  3. ☆ a kind of prison, where petty offenders are confined and made to work

workhouse Law Definition

n

A jail for criminals who have committed minor offenses and who will not be serving lengthy terms.

workhouse Usage Examples

Converse of object

erect: In 1837, the East Ashford Union erected a workhouse on the west side of Kennington Road in Ashford.

Adjective modifier

  • recorded: A parliamentary report of 1777 recorded parish workhouses in operation at Lutterworth for up to 30 inmates, and at Gilmorton for 18.
  • purpose-built: A new purpose-built workhouse was erected on Grove Road in Richmond in 1786-7.
  • former: In 1948, the former workhouse became a general hospital.
  • Victorian: It was everyone's idea of what a Victorian workhouse should look like.

Modifies a noun

  • infirmary: The original workhouse infirmary lay directly to the south of the main building.
  • inmate: The workhouse inmates ' day was governed by the workhouse bell.
  • chapel: Across Suffolk, Exning workhouse chapel has during the last few decades been converted into an Anglican church.
  • master: The workhouse master decided what food children under 9 received.
  • building: A separate asylum building was later erected at the rear workhouse building.
  • uniform: All their belongings were taken away and they were given a workhouse uniform to wear.

Noun used with modifier

  • parish: Up to 1834 The first Leeds parish workhouse was opened in 1638 on North Street at the top of Lady Lane.
  • township: A township workhouse also operated at Over Darwen, at the western end of what is now Police Street.
  • inmate: Inmates Workhouses, List of those visited in 1867 With Name of the Workhouse and numbers of insane, idiotic, and imbecile inmates.
  • union: On Tuesday, January 9, at the union workhouse, Malton, Wm.

Preposition: in

operation: Up to 1834 A parliamentary report of 1777 recorded a parish workhouse in operation in St Pancras for up to 120 inmates.

Preposition: from

  • southwest: Oundle parish workhouse from the southwest, 2000. © Peter Higginbotham.
  • southeast: Clonmel new workhouse from the southeast, 2000. © Peter Higginbotham.
  • northwest: Clonmel new workhouse from the northwest, 2000. © Peter Higginbotham.

Preposition: for

inmate: In 1777, Napton also had a parish workhouse for 20 inmates.