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Scandals: The Victorians | 3. Bone-crushing hunger in Britain’s workhouses

Scandals: The Victorians | 3. Bone-crushing hunger in Britain’s workhouses

Professor Rosalind Crone and Ellie Cawthorne investigate a case of corruption, negligence and misconduct in Victorian Britain’s workhouse system

Ellie Cawthorne

Published: January 7, 2025 at 7:00 AM

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We all know the story of Oliver Twist begging for ‘more’ in the workhouse. But were these institutions really as nasty, grim and brutal as Dickens depicts? In this first series of History’s Greatest Scandals, Professor Rosalind Crone and Ellie Cawthorne uncover some of the most infamous episodes of the Victorian age. And in this episode, they revisit an investigation into dire workhouse conditions, exploring what it can reveal about attitudes to the poor at the time.

Authors

Ellie CawthorneHead of content (audio)

Ellie Cawthorne is head of content (audio) at HistoryExtra