A workhouse birching

I’m reading a book about Workhouses (as you do).

I’m not far into it, but already there have been various references to female residents being soundly chastised. I’ll blog a few in due course!

Forget them: it’s the image that came to mind of a pretty young woman, stripped being tied over a table, the Master of the workhouse behind her with a birch. A new resident, I think, resenting the rules. She’d lashed out at a member of staff. And now:

“I’m going to make you the sorriest girl ever to have been admitted to my care.”

And then her foolhardy reply, which she would soon come to regret:

“I doubt it, sir. Your sadistic reputation is well-known.”

Yes, that works for me as an image – and as the idea for a scene!

One thought on “A workhouse birching

  • 14 August, 2014 at 2:50 pm
    Permalink

    In those ‘goode olde days’, a naughty woman working in a workhouse, often saw her master raise her work clothes waist high, pull down her bloomer’s and without hesitation birch her naked bottom soundly with these painful twigs called a birch rod. Yes, these females who tasted the these painful twigs, upon their bare bottoms let out yells of “Ooohs”, and ‘Ouchs”, with fervent gusto. To the great satisfaction of their master.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *