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This article will explore 'maternalistic' forms of governance in a 19th century female reformatory. The ideological foundations and operational practices of the reformatory movement have predominantly been analysed within a theoretical framework that prioritises their paternalistic construction. Yet overwhelmingly it was female matrons who took daily custody of these institutions. I argue here that an examination of this female presence disrupts the notion of paternalistic supremacy with regard to institutional power relations. However, this is not to suggest the complete elimination of paternalistic primacy. Rather, the paper will highlight how the matrons attempted to negotiate and manage the complex relations that emerged for themselves in their roles as both 'governing' and 'governed' women. The paucity and nature of the data available poses particular methodological issues and therefore the paper will also advocate a more 'imaginative' contextualised approach which embraces the 'art' as well as the 'science' of archival excavation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about several papers discussed at the 2013 conference of the Family and Community Historical Research Society Ltd. held in Farnborough, Hampshire, England is presented. Topics include the history of charitable institutions in Odiham, England, a study of the Odiham War Memorial, and a discussion of Lady Jane St. John Mildmay, wife and widow of Sir Henry Paulet St. John-Mildmay, third baronet. The symposium featured several historians including Don Dickson, Anne Langley, and Sue Smith.

Many of the population of the north-east and Cumbria lived on the verge of poverty and found earnings cut through illness, unemployment, old age or quiet trade times. Social welfare was provided by state and private sector and included the almshouse, charity, admission to the workhouse or the paying of out-relief to the poor in their own home. Care in the almshouses was only available to a small number of the population. The vast majority of the population were left to fend for themselves in old age or widowhood. Using the 1881 and 1901 census, the paper will analyse the demography of the sample almshouses, and in particular, the population over age 60 in almshouse and workhouse. Case studies of St Annes Hospital and the Aged Miner Homes highlight the lack or provision of accommodation for this age group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the material benefits commonly received by almshouse residents from the fifteenth to the nineteenth centuries, and attempts to assess how well off alms-people were compared with other poor people in the community. It considers not only the stipends or financial allowances received by many almspeople, but also other benefits provided, such as the accommodation, food, fuel and practical help. The evidence points to the experience of almshouse life varying a great deal, and suggests that the standard of living for many almspeople did not differ greatly from that of the poor generally. Many almspeople received poor relief; some were so poorly off that even the workhouse offered greater comfort and security. Yet, for most, there were distinct advantages to an almshouse place. Free accommodation and a regular income, no matter how small, gave them a measure of security; while their position as almshouse residents gave them status, respectability and the opportunity to benefit from further donations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the mid-19th century, the migration of people into London was at its height. Studies of gross and net migration patterns from other regions demonstrate the importance of London as a goal destination, but until now the underlying structure of migration movements was difficult to access due to the volume of material involved. This paper exploits the recent indexing of the currently available censuses to identify the individual migration behaviour of young men from Devon, Norfolk and Sussex to London. Findings relating to the size and locality of source places, occupational backgrounds, kinship and to residential and occupational choice upon reaching London are presented for each county. The importance of information as a spur to migration is underlined and differing responses in terms of occupation are attributed to distance depreciation of such information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

J. R. Lord and Montagu Lomax offered competing visions of the relationship between mental hospitals and the community in a decade when asylums were subjected to extensive official and public scrutiny. The background of both men arguably informed their divergent outlook on mental hospitals. Lomax's work targeted reform at mental hospitals, through public and governmental intervention. Lord, however, advocated a leading role for mental hospitals in community mental health, and called for reform of public attitudes and laws inhibiting mental hospital development. This paper suggests that Lord effectively inverted Lomax's core arguments, selectively focusing on aspects of social service and aftercare to present a more positive picture of mental hospitals. Targeting different (public/professional) audiences, Lord and Lomax each based their case for reform on a particular perspective of the public. It is argued that to appreciate their respective attitudes to asylums one must also consider their representations of the public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Federation of Discharged and Demobilized Soldiers and Sailors has hitherto been neglected by historians of the Great War. This paper examines this radical ex-service organization in the context of working class communities and mentalities. This account of its rise and fall focuses on rural areas, especially the Welsh Marches. Here, while there were early and close links with local trade unions, by 1919 the Federation had become more conservative and soon declined. Although its decline mirrored the general history of this organization, the local cultural background, in particular the gentry paternalism of the Marches. ensured that the NFDDSS in this region was a short-lived phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]