Talk:Andover workhouse scandal
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I vaguely remember there was something about the "inmates" resorting to eating human flesh from the graveyard next door, but I can't remember if this was alleged or proved. Anyone else know? -Ladybirdintheuk 08:54, 17 August 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Wikified
The Andover Scandal reads like a lurid Victorian melodrama and should be approached with caution. There may have been an element of exageration in this and certainly the human flesh bit was made up. Andover was only one of a number of investigations brought by people who were opposed to the workhouse system in any form and had a vested interest in digging up as much dirt as they could and presenting it as the typical of the whole. None of the other investigations came to anything. Certainly the popular perception of the workhouse system seems appauling to us but it should be judged by the standards of the time rather than modern eyes. Books such as Oliver Twist were written to specifically discredit the system and may not fully reflect the whole picture. I have substantially written the article on workhouses and the aim of the article is to give a balanced assessment of these controversial institutions over the 111 years of their existance.
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