Two inmates pictured in a ward for old men, Barnhill Poorhouse, around 1900. They are wearing black moleskin or herringbone tweed suits, the regular pauper costume, and a tartan scarf to mark the courtyard to which they belong.
Inmates' clothing was either destroyed or stored on admission and they were required to wear poorhouse clothing to discourage them from running away. However, the clothing supplied was of relatively good quality, and some people sought admission to kit themselves out and promptly absconded with the clothes. Vagrants sometimes came in to have their verminous clothing treated in the poorhouse de-lousing machine.
Inside the original building's quadrangle there were four identical courtyards separated by a central corridor running the full length of the building. There was a separate courtyard for men, women, boys and girls, and strict segregation was observed.
Reference: Heatherbank Museum of Social Work, print 970
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow Caledonian University, Research Collections, Heatherbank Museum of Social Work
Keywords:
Barnhill Poorhouse, beds, courtyards, dormitories, geriatric services, hospitals, hygiene, moleskin suits, old people, paupers, pensioners, poor relief, poorhouse inmates, poorhouses, scarves, social welfare, tweed suits, vagrants
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