The Lamerton Workhouse Orphanage

by S G Read

  No child spoke or raised their heads more than they had already lifted and when Ruth led them away they did not look at Andrew. He poured himself a drink and sat savouring it; he was on his second drink when Beth came in to the parlour.

  ‘The older children really like their hammocks, it was a wonderful idea.’ She cried as she lowered herself into the other armchair carefully.

  ‘Mary’s idea not mine and taken up because there was nothing else to do.’ Andrew answered. ‘But they did seem to like them.’

  ‘Where did you get them?’

  ‘Mrs Oldray, she seems to have most things in her shop.’

  ‘Had she said something when we wanted beds, you would not have had to pay out for the beds from the school!’

  ‘But would I have bought the hammocks?’

  Beth looked into the fire. ‘Probably not, you would have thought that she was just trying to get rid of them.’

  ‘And she was but I wanted them and she did not overcharge me.’

  ‘How much did you pay?’ This time Beth looked at him.

  ‘Ten very valuable pounds which I did not want to spend and just before Easterbrook is due.’

  ‘I thought you said she did not overcharge you!’ Beth complained.

  ‘I paid ten pounds for one hundred Hammocks.’

  ‘One hundred!’ She stopped speaking as though what she was going to say no longer needed to be said. ‘Well at least we will not have to worry about beds any more, unless Tavistock sends us all their children.’

  ‘If that happens we will need more rooms more than more beds!’ Andrew declared.

  ‘Come husband let us go to bed, it is late.’

  Andrew looked at his glass with a little brandy still in it and stood it on the table next to him.

  ‘Yes let us go to bed we have to keep the latest McDay healthy by keeping his mother healthy, so William has told me and it sounds sensible to me.’

  They went into the bed room and closed the door. Two hours later Tom was knocking on the door in a very agitated state.

  Andrew woke before Beth and hurried to the door.

  ‘What is it Tom?’ He hissed trying not to wake Beth.

  ‘Two of the new ones have done gone and run away!’ He answered trying to keep his voice down.

  ‘Saddle Hopscotch, I will make sure they are alright, it is cold and wet out tonight.’

  ‘Yes Mr McDay.’

  Andrew dressed and rode out on Hopscotch into the bleak March night. He rode further than he thought that two boys dressed in only the towels they wore, could have reached before turning back without seeing anyone. He rode back and hitched the cart to the other horse, collected the two boy’s clothes then dressed like a farmer on his way to market before he started out. A soon as he was on the road he pretended to be asleep. After ten minutes he heard urgent whispering as one boy tried to goad the other into action but the second boy did not answer. Andrew jumped down and caught one boy by the towel but he pulled away, leaving the towel behind and dodged out of sight. The second boy lay there wrapped in a towel and he looked very ill.

  ‘I brought your clothes as it is cold out.’ Andrew said to the boy who was hiding. ‘But this one is ill and I am taking him back with me for Mrs Fearon to look after. I will leave your clothes on this rock.’

  He dumped the clothes on the rock and lifted the sick boy onto the cart, the boy weighed very little. Without a glance back, Andrew turned the cart round and headed back. When he turned into the courtyard Mrs Fearon came out to see if he had found the boys and she carried the thin boy inside, with no effort.

  ‘What about the other one?’ Tom asked.

  ‘He looked healthy enough for now so I left him his clothes and let him go.’

  ‘But he will die won’t he?’ Tom asked.

  ‘I am hoping he will walk back to make sure his friend does not die.’ Andrew answered.

  ‘So I don’t lock the gate then?’

  ‘It was not locked before was it?’ Andrew asked.

  ‘No you said don’t lock it.’

  ‘And I still say don’t lock it.’ Andrew replied copying Tom’s words.

  Tom unhitched the horse and led him away to look after him leaving the cart where it was until morning. Andrew went indoors to stoke up the parlour fire to try to warm himself up. Beth slept through it all. When he was warm and dry Andrew crept into the bedroom and snuggled up in bed next to Beth. Tom made sure both horses were dried and fed before settling down to sleep in the stable but did so in a position where he could see anyone coming in the gate.

  Two hours passed and a little boy; dressed but soaked to the skin slipped in through the unlocked gate and into the orphanage. Tom smiled, turned over and went to sleep.

  In side the boy stood in the washroom and looked round, a lamp now burned as though they expected him to come back and a plate of food stood on the edge of the long tub. He ate the food and then walked slowly up the stairs to where his bed was. The bed next to him was empty; it was his friend’s bed. He looked round and saw a light in the room where he had seen the babies earlier. He walked to the door and looked inside, his friend was being fed by Mrs Fearon with a spoon. He walked back, threw off his wet clothes and climbed into his bed to sleep.

  Beth rose in the morning and dressed but Andrew did not wake. She walked out to eat the breakfast Ruth had laid out for her and noticed there was none for Andrew. When she returned the dishes to the kitchen Eliza was there washing up.

  ‘Did I miss anything last night?’ She asked.

  ‘Two boys ran off and Mr McDay had to go out and find them.’

  ‘Are they alright, did he find them?’

  ‘He found them and brought one back, as he was ill but left the other one to decide what he should do, they only had the towels on so he took them their clothes.’

  ‘What about the other one?’

  ‘He came back two hours later according to old seven, crept in, ate the food Mrs Fearon told me to leave out for him, looked in on his friend then jumped into bed in his birthday suit, as his clothes were wet.’

  Beth laughed. ‘Better than being wet in bed I would imagine.’

  ‘I should say.’ Eliza replied.

  Beth picked up a drying cloth and started drying as Eliza washed. The washing had started, so there would be no one to teach until it was all running smoothly, except for the fifteen newcomers and they would be hard work.

  She had to coax the fifteen newcomers out of their nice comfortable beds, except for one. The one with the pile of wet clothes by his bed, she left him sleeping. With the newcomers, she had to start from the beginning but was soon getting them to use the slate and chalk.

  When he awoke the runaway saw things going on round him and no one was there to tell him off, to whip him or anything and he did not understand. At Tavistock, even if his friend died he would still have been whipped and made to work as though it counted as nothing. Here he was still in bed after it was light. He listened to the class for a while and then dressed. The clothes were still wet but it was not cold inside, not like it was in Tavistock. He walked down the stairs after looking into the room with the babies where a man he did not know was looking at his friend. His friend was talking. If he was talking to this man then he was still alive. He walked down to see what was going on downstairs. Henry was instructing boys how to work the machine but there was no man present. In fact this boy could see no grown ups at all downstairs. When he saw the boy, Henry walked over to where he stood.

  ‘Want to do some washing all by yourself?’ He asked.

  The boy looked puzzled.

  ‘Come on I’ll show you how it works.’ Henry walked away and the boy followed. ‘I’m Henry Ball by the way.’ He pointed to his name on his jacket. ‘I’m in charge when Mr McDay isn’t about.’

  ‘I’m Martin.’ The boy answered.

  Henry showed Martin how to work a machine and Martin washed clothes, after half an hour Henry left him to it, as the new boy was a quick lea
rner.

  While he was working Ruth walked over to Martin with a tape measure.

  ‘How is Michael?’ He asked but did not stop working.

  ‘He is a poorly little boy but Doctor Knight says he will be alright, if he is kept warm and fed proper food.’ Ruth answered.

  ‘We must have died and gone to bleeding heaven.’ Martin declared.

  ‘Well then, let me measure you up for your wings.’ Ruth replied and measured him.

  He did not stop work even though she complained about him moving but she managed to get all she wanted.

  ‘You have a break in two hours.’ Ruth told his as she walked away. ‘Then you will have your first lesson with Mrs McDay.’

  It was a lot for Martin to take in but when Gordon Frost came to take over from him, he allowed him to and went to the stairs to go up for his first lesson. He was on the first step when Andrew came out of the parlour.

  ‘Made it back then?’ Andrew asked.

  ‘You could have brought me on the cart.’ Martin retorted.

  ‘I could have, but I thought you ought to walk, I was wet and tired thanks to you.’

  ‘Sorry, I got to go I am having my first lesson.’

  ‘Go on then, do not keep Mrs McDay waiting.’

  Martin ran up the rest of the stairs.

  Andrew looked round the washroom and things looked to be going well so he went back into his parlour to write a letter to his father. It was a general letter ending with a note to say they were expecting their first baby. He sealed the letter and imagined his mother’s reaction when she read the letter, which he knew she would. He walked out and gave the letter to Tom who saddled the orphanage horse and rode off to post it. When he walked back inside Andrew saw William walk down the stairs.

  ‘How is the patient William?’

  ‘Poorly but with a good diet and plenty of warmth he should be able to pull his weight in a month.’

  ‘Pull his weight; he does not have any weight.’

  ‘He will have with some good food in his belly Andrew and Ruth cooks good food.’

  ‘She does that William; was that a request for breakfast?’

  ‘It was; a free meal is always welcome.’

  ‘Come into the parlour and I will set the wheels in motion, the sherry bottle is full.’

  ‘Not for long, it is quite cold out today, for March.’

  ‘It was cold last night while I was out looking for those little perishers William.’

  ‘Perishers that is a new one on me.’

  ‘London talk, came from the lads who came back from the war.’ Andrew declared. ‘That is where the sword you have been casting your eye upon came from.’

  ‘It is a nice weapon but not the sort of thing an up and coming doctor should have, I am supposed to save lives rather than take them.’

  When he saw William off he was in time to meet Tom as he returned from posting his letter but with the new influx of children now was not the time to talk about his operation, not that Alice would understand about money matters.

  ‘Anyone run away while I was gone Mr McDay?’ Tom asked as William rode away.

  Andrew laughed; it was nice to hear Tom develop a sense of humour. ‘Not that I have noticed Tom.’

  Later that day Mary Hodgson arrived with more cloth to make the clothes for the newcomers. She stayed until they were all made and the children, including Martin, were wearing them.

  ‘When do we get our names on them?’ He asked, as he was not one to mince words, which was why he had numerous scars and was willing to earn more.

  ‘When you can write your name.’ Beth answered.

  She could have said more as Martin was not the easiest of pupils to teach but she chose not to. He did not answer but walked over to take over the machine he had been working when he had to go to get his new clothes. The boy working it at the time, let him take over and he went out into the garden to help get it ready for planting.

  Slowly the boy who was ill upstairs grew stronger until he could walk about, although he was not told to do anything until Doctor Knight said he could. Not something he was used to.

  Looking through a large bag the newcomers had with them, he found out their names. Martin’s surname was Martin which would make it easy for him once he could write his first name, the sick boy was Norman Moxey and Andrew was surprised how close they were so he looked closely at the papers with them to find they were brothers. They had the same mother but different fathers.

  ‘That explains him coming back.’ He declared as he read it.

  ‘Explains what?’ Beth asked looking up from her book.

  ‘Martin coming back. Norman is his brother, same mother but different fathers.’

  ‘Uterinal.’ Beth replied. ‘I think that is what they call that.’

  ‘It still explains it.’ Andrew replied and read on to see what other surprises he had in store from this new lot but a noise upstairs made him go out and see what was happening. The noise drew him upstairs where he found Martin and Gordon fighting. He picked both up by their collars and held them in midair for a few seconds.

  ‘Stop this at once!’ He roared.

  He put them down and they stayed where he put them. Zeke arrived as he put them down, he had worked hard all day and he did not need this.

  ‘Go and fetch the whip Zeke.’ Andrew ordered.

  Downstairs Beth put her hand to her mouth to stop from saying something. Zeke did as he was asked and gave Andrew the whip.

  ‘You have both been guilty of fighting and I will not have it.’ Andrew roared but gave the whip to Gordon. ‘You will give him ten lashes.’

  Gordon took the whip, looked at then dropped it on the ground.

  ‘In that case you will give him ten lashes first.’ Andrew ordered looking at Martin, he bent and picked up the whip then gave it to Martin but he threw it away as Gordon had.

  ‘I ain’t whipping no one.’ Martin declared.

  ‘Then why were you prepared to fight each other? Is it not hard enough here, without you fighting each other?’

  Neither boy spoke.

  ‘You either shake hands like men or I will find someone to whip you.’

  ‘I’ll do it!’ Norman declared. ‘Brother or no brother, you deserve some lashes.’

  The two boys looked at each other. To be whipped by Norman did not hold any fear as he was very weak but it would be the fact that he had whipped them, which caused them to shake hands.

  ‘Good, now go to your beds and stay there until morning.’ Andrew ordered.

  ‘But Eliza is going to read to us!’ Gordon cried.

  ‘They were fighting over who should sit next to her.’ Norman declared.

  ‘That is easy.’ Zeke declared. ‘I will I am the father of her baby.’

  Andrew thought about the punishment. If Gordon went to his hammock he would not hear Eliza whereas Martin would be able to listen to her from his bed.

  ‘Sit and listen if you will then but there will be no breakfast for you in the morning.’ Andrew said after a short pause.

  The two boys sat and soon it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Eliza started reading, she was a lot more fluent now than when she first started reading to them and Andrew listened for a few minutes, before he walked back down the stairs. Norman sat listening with the whip still in his little hands.

  Beth followed him into the parlour. ‘I thought you handled that well husband.’ She declared after she had closed the door.

  ‘I wanted to whack then both round the head!’ Andrew answered shortly.

  ‘So did I dear, so did I, now let us go to bed that has seemed to have stirred something inside me.’

  Andrew looked at her. ‘Should we?’

  ‘Oh yes we should.’ Beth declared and walked into the bedroom.

  Chapter 11

  When Andrew walked out into the wash room in the morning he found Martin and Gordon working side by side and looking the best of friends. He looked a second time and was mildly pleased t
o see them together without fighting then walked up stairs to see how Norman was. He was not up there and he had to ask Eliza where he was.

  ‘He is helping little William to keep the fire going and learning how to do it. He needs warmth and that is the warmest job we could think of.’ Eliza declared as she changed one of the babies.

  ‘Well it is warm out there even when there is snow on the ground.’ Andrew admitted.

  He walked out to find the two boys working to keep the flame just how William wanted. He nodded and walked out into the garden as the two boys called ‘Good morning Mr McDay.’ After him.

  ‘Good morning boys.’ Andrew called back but kept on walking.

  Once he was away from the heat he found it was colder again but there were three hardy children working in the garden. Andrew walked as far as the new piece of land. In particular he walked to the end farthest from the Tavistock road and the side farthest from the orphanage. It was here he planned to build a line of terraced houses where the children who were too old to remain in the orphanage, could live. If they were working and therefore earning wages, they could afford to pay him rent, which in turn would help keep the orphanage running. The more regular income he could have coming in, the better he liked it. The ground was ready for planting and he planned to grow crops there which would be harvested early to make sure the ground was clear when they were ready to build on it. He paced it out and made notes on one of the spare slates, with a piece of chalk. He decided on a line of ten houses, the first of which would be made ready for Ezekiel and Eliza to move in to when they were married. He was waiting for their marriage before arranging the christening of the baby, then they would live as man and wife in their rented house and Ezekiel would pay rent for it. To Andrew it made more sense than just kicking them out, to go on to the bigger workhouse in Exeter or Plymouth.

  He walked back to find Norman stoking the fire on his own.

  ‘Where is little William?’ He asked when Norman looked up.