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Ever wondered how the family survived financially once they became old?

What an interesting article.

Most of my ancestors seemed to have worked until the day they died but pre 1900 most families seemed to take care of each other more. They either lived together cramped in a tiny two up two down house ie My Gr Gr grandfather was widowed and along with three of his children moved in with his eldest daughter and lived with her for about five years or families lived within a few streets of each other. There was an expectation and sense of duty in those times that younger family members should take care of the older generations but these expectations were not always met. Old people must have dreaded having to resort to the poor law and workhouse.

Families who lived near each other would swap childrens clothes that no longer fitted, share a pot of stew when times were hard and 'borrowed' a cup of sugar from neighbours etc.

Having said that not all families were that caring and in 1920 I have one relative who ended his days in a mens hostel as the daughter he was living with had died age 45 and her husband had remarried within a year so he had to move out. He seems to have landed up, ill and destitute ending his days in a church hostel age 80 even though some of his sons lived a few streets away with their wives and families.

Just after the second world war I can remember neighbours who would as a kindness give the old people who lived near them a small twist of tobbacco, usually for a small job that they concocted for them to do or a bit of 'expert advice' that only an older person would know or would give them a dinner on a sunday because they had it 'left over' or give them a share of something left over from a baking batch, all done carefully not to offend the older persons pride.

I suppose that in the past older people had learned throughout their lives to cope with a little and many would just try to get by as best they could. At the end of their lives with their family expectations and their resourses at rock bottom they often had no option but to resort to the workhouse.

At least most pensioners today have the security of a regular government pension or pension credit payment they can depend on each week to help them along financially.
 
Louisa said:
What an interesting article.

Most of my ancestors seemed to have worked until the day they died but pre 1900 most families seemed to take care of each other more. They either lived together cramped in a tiny two up two down house ie My Gr Gr grandfather was widowed and along with three of his children moved in with his eldest daughter and lived with her for about five years or families lived within a few streets of each other. There was an expectation and sense of duty in those times that younger family members should take care of the older generations but these expectations were not always met. Old people must have dreaded having to resort to the poor law and workhouse.

Families who lived near each other would swap childrens clothes that no longer fitted, share a pot of stew when times were hard and 'borrowed' a cup of sugar from neighbours etc.

Having said that not all families were that caring and in 1920 I have one relative who ended his days in a mens hostel as the daughter he was living with had died age 45 and her husband had remarried within a year so he had to move out. He seems to have landed up, ill and destitute ending his days in a church hostel age 80 even though some of his sons lived a few streets away with their wives and families.

Just after the second world war I can remember neighbours who would as a kindness give the old people who lived near them a small twist of tobbacco, usually for a small job that they concocted for them to do or a bit of 'expert advice' that only an older person would know or would give them a dinner on a sunday because they had it 'left over' or give them a share of something left over from a baking batch, all done carefully not to offend the older persons pride.

I suppose that in the past older people had learned throughout their lives to cope with a little and many would just try to get by as best they could. At the end of their lives with their family expectations and their resourses at rock bottom they often had no option but to resort to the workhouse.

At least most pensioners today have the security of a regular government pension or pension credit payment they can depend on each week to help them along financially.
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The "good old days".
These days even the long term unemployed (including scroungers who have never worked) have cars and foreign holidays,widescreen tv's etc.
In the "good old days" people worked all the hours they could just to keep a roof over their heads and barely enough to eat.
Not so good!!
 
Thanks for your post Louisa. It fills out the situation as it was all those years ago. I have never been able to understand why some people abandon their parents but then I suppose some of them have their reasons..whose to say.
I know from people who visit old age homes regularly to see relatives and tell me there are many older people there who haven't seen their children for years. Very sad.

Generally, years ago people were closer to their families and relied on them
more if times were not good re health and work situations. People were very resourceful...they had to be really since there was not much of a backup such as social handouts to rely on. I remember people giving tobacco and extra "left over" food to the not so fortunate in a very discreet way for odd jobs and errands, etc.
 
Hi Louisa, you wont think so by the way they moan, but by and large pensioners are better off now than they have been , certainly in my lifetime, if you think about the free TV licence, winter fuel allowances, and
so on in the words of SuperMac weve never had it so good, and its true!!
I am of the firm opinion Youth is Wasted on the Young! cheers now
Bernard 67Arnold:cool:
 
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