Like most villages in history, Turvey has had many poor inhabitants. Some people were born to poor families and spent their whole lives struggling to survive. Others were made destitute through illness, accident or just circumstance.
The Higgins family did lots to try and help the poor of the village survive in the 1830s. They used to buy coal during the summer when prices were lowest, store them in the old Roundhouse by the rectory and then sell them to the villagers during the winter for the original, lower price.
Turvey Born Residents of Bedford Union Workhouse - 1881
George Bailey U 44M Ag Lab
Henry Churchman U 54 M Ag Lab
Joseph Cotton M34M Ag Lab
Joseph Lineham W52MSawyers Labourer
Mary Pearson U 53F Lace Maker (Imbecile)
Mary Sergeant W75F Lace Maker
Margaret Shelton U 59F Needlewoman (Imbecile)
Sarah Tysoe U 75F Lace Maker
Died In the Workhouse
Entries from the parish register of people who died in the Turvey Workhouse from 1771 to 1790.
Hannah, widow of Richard Johnson
from workhouse, buried 31 Mar 1790
Thomas Marshall buried 17 Nov 1786
Robert Parrot buried 5 Nov 1786
Charles Hinde buried 20 Oct 1786
Kezia Whitworth buried 15 Sept 1786
Ann Churchman buried 15 Mar 1786
Thomas Gurney buried 6 Nov 1785
John Goff buried 3 Dec 1783
Catherine Allen buried 7 Nov 1771
Elizabeth Tysoe buried 18 Jun 1771
Do you think there was some sort of epidemic in 1786?
List of the Poor to Receive the Charity left by the late Mrs. Carter & Freemans
Due at St Thomas Day - 1800
St Thomas' Day is 8th January.
1.Edward Luddington2s 2.Eliz. Serjant1s
3.Ann Deighton2s 4.Mary Parker2s
5.Eliz. How2s 6.Thos. Laughton1s
7.John Serjant2s 8.Widow Swain2s
9.Widow Young1s 10.John Wooding1s
11.Richard Tandy2s 12.Willm. Dalley-
13.Samuel French2s14.Wm. Ke__h1s
15.Thos. Law2s16.Willm. Shelton-
17.Sarah Tite2s18.Willm. Clifton1s
19.Samuel Willson1s6d 20.Willm. Tysoe-
21.Widow Clark2s 22.Joseph Francis2s
23.John Hobbs1s 24.Widow Coales2s
25.Ann Branson1s 26.Eliz. Serjant1s
27.Willm. Buttlin (?)1s6d 28.Ann Batram1s
29.Robert Huckle2s 30.Richard Knight1s
31.John Sanders, Labr.1s 32.Willm. King2s
33.David Arnell2s 34.Widow Bu(a)rnham2s
35.Willm. Fisher2s 36.Hannah Hedge2s
37.Widow Kichiner2s38.Joseph Freeman2s
39.Carter Curtis1s 40.John Peak1s
41.Timothy Odell1s 42.Wm. Odell1s
43.Widow Huckle2s 44.Thos. Holloway2s
45.Willm. Wooding2s 46.Henry Taylor1s
47.Willm. Sanson2s 48.Wm. Tysoe2s
49.Wm. Stonebanks2s 50.Widow Churchman2s
51.Willm. Serjant1s 52.Willm. Estwick3s
53.John Prigmore2s 54.Widow Richards-
55.Robert Tysoe2s Eliz. Wife of Joseph Wooding Jr.2s
Robert Lawrence1s6d Thos. Deighton1s
Widow Shelton2s Wm. Smith1s6d
Widow Frear2s Allen Fro(e)man2s
Widow Prigmore2s Mary Joffery2s
Gilloway Harley4s Thos. Crawley2s
Spencer Tysoe- Widow Eaton2s
Richard Ayres1s Henry Covington3s
Willm. Pain- Joseph Wooding3s
Widow How2sWm. Burdin1s6d
David Middleton2s Philip Cherrey1s6d
Hannah Hobbs1s Jonathon Stock2s
Jacob Wooding1s Ann Richard, Widow2s
John Gooding2s6dJohn Warren1s
Mark Wooding1s Widow Adams2s
Joseph Lineham2sSilas Tysoe2s6d
Mary Tysoe2sThos. Prigmore1s6d
Wm. Tysoe, fog (?)2s Susanna Bailey2s
John Cotton2s6d Dorothy Tysoe2s
Eliz. Freear, Widow2sAnn Tysoe2s
John Bird2s Willm. Churchman1s6d
Robert Westley2sMary Wife Reuben Rose2s6d
Martin Wooding2s6d Widow Green2s
Joseph Swain2s Judith How1s
Thos. Smith2s John Abraham-
John Sanders, Po____2s6dTobias Dalley1s
Thos. Garlick1s6dWm. Wooding, Carpenter1s
Widow Smith2sWidow Robinson2s6d
Thos. Lightfoot1sWm. Lightfoot1s
Sara Smith - cross out Lillis V. Poll written above2s
Willm. Towl2sJohn Bellamy2s
Richard West1sJohn Law1s
Charles Shelton1sWillm. Ayres1s
Benjamin Tysoe-Reuben Tysoe-
Mary wife Thos Dalley2sDickins Prigmore2s6d
Widow Luddington2sLewis Wooding1s
Widow Knight2s6dJohn Peers2s6d
Thos. Prigmore6dHannah Roberts1s
Alice Rickards6dHannah Tysoe6d
Distributed January 8, 1800
*This list is referred to only once from 1777 to 1809 by this full name. Many other years are simply referred to as List of Poor in Turvey or List of the Parish. The monies was always distributed around St. Thomas Day each year.
Source: Turvey, Bedfordshire - Overseer's Charities LDS Film #1597489
My sincere thanks to Jane Davies for sending me this list.
Scroll down this page for information and name lists for THE WORKHOUSE
Many poor people were employed as general or agricultural servants - please see my servants page for more details - and names!
Bequests to the Poor from Board inside Church Porch
Bequest of John 2nd Lord Mordaunt AD 1571 “for Four poor Almsfolk born and living in Turvey” being a charge on land at Cardington, Beds of £6-18-8.
Bequest of a Person Unknown for “the poor Widows of Turvey” being rent of Land at Lavendon, Bucks.
Bequest of Thomas Carter esq AD 1731 for “the most necessitous persons in the Parish” being Interest of £128
Bequest of the Lady Anne Mordaunt ad 1791 for “the poor Inhabitants of the Parish” being Interest of £128
Bequest of Charles Higgens esq AD 1792 for “Clothing Twenty poor Women” being Interest of £1,000
Bequest of John Robinson esq AD 1835 for “the necessitous Widows of Turvey” being Interest of £50. Consols.
Bequest of Miss A M Higgins AD 1838 for “providing Coals in Winter for the poor of the Parish” being Interest of £680-3-3 Consols.
Bequest of Miss AM Higgins AD 1838 for “the benefit of the Children educated in the Turvey School” being Interest of £680-3-3 Consols.
Bequest of John Higgins esq AD 1846 “to make up to £20 per annum the sum bequeathed by Charles Higgins esq to the Master of the Sunday School” being a charge on Land at Great Oaks, Turvey
Bequest of Lt Col W B Higgins AD 1878, Interest of £150 for the “benefit of the National and Infant Schools”
Bequest of Lt Col W B Higgins AD 1878 Interest of £100 for the “upkeep of the Working Mens Room”
James Barton esq built in 1885, at a cost of £6197, the “Almshouses situated in this Parish” and transferred to Trustees £15,833-6-8 in £3% Consols for the endowment of the same
Bequest of Miss Josephine Anne Owen AD 1905 £597-3-0 being the residue of her Estate for “the endowment of the same Almshouses”
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