The first inmates to the Workhouse were admitted in September 1862 so the 1871 National Census was the first opportunity to formally record their details.. As per any census, those details included status ( M = married, s= single or w= widow ), age, occupation, if any, and place of birth. It reported any disabilities, Idiot, Lunatic or Blind. Apart from the first three names heading the list, the Master, Matron and Nurse, all the rest of the inmates were registered as paupers. What I’ve yet to find out on this census and subsequent ones I have listed in my History is where all the rest of the staff, nurses, helpers, cooks etc were when the census was taken.
If you read my chapter on the start of the Workhouse in Deanhouse you will see a paragraph about the concern of the local inhabitants. One can understand why, when out of the 202 inmates in the first census, only two were from Netherthong, Hannah Booth and Benjamin Gill, whilst eight were from Ireland. To save you counting 22 are registered as Idiots, two as Lunatics and two as blind.There are also 45 children aged from a few months to 18 years and when they were over five years old they were classed as scholars.
If you want to read more about the early Workhouses then I can recommend, Workhouse – The People – The Places – The Life Behind Doors by Simon Fowler. Published 2007. ISBN 978 1 905615 03 2. Quite disturbing in parts – actually lots of parts.