Thème n°4: The Workhouses

A workhouse was a place where people who were unable to support themselves could go to live and work. The Oxford Dictionary's earliest reference to a workhouse dates to 1652 in Exeter. There is, however, some written evidence that workhouses existed before this date. Records mention a workhouse in 1631 in Abingdon. The vagrants' and casual workers' ward of a workhouse was colloquially known as a spike, from the tool used to unpick oakum.

En gros: les "workhouses" sont des lieux ( maisons ) où les personnes pauvres peuvent vivre et travailler. Le premier dictionaire à faire référence aux " workhouses " est le Oxford Dictionary's et date de 1652, c'est la première trace écrite de l'exsistence de ces lieux.

source: wikipédia.com