PUBLIC HEALTH: BAD HOUSING

During the mid-nineteenth century, the housing situation of England was such that depending on your profession and situation, as well as where your house was located, reflected your status.

The situation was this, status meant EVERYTHING if you were poor, your house reflected your demeanor. If say you lived in Manchester, you For example, according to document source B, "...the most wretched...(were) mere hovels, built of rough stones and covered with ragged thatch. The wife's face was dirty, and hair tangled hair hung over her eyes. Her cap was ill washed... Her whole dress was untidy, and looked dirty... everything about her seemed wretched and neglected... Her condition has been bourne down by the conditions of the house." It's clear, that your appearance, was reflected through your house. The poorer you were the worse your house looked, the worse off you were.

However if you lived in Willenhall or Hyde, chances where you may still be poor, but your housing situation was probably better. According to (source D) "...I've have entered the houses and hovels of of journeymen locksmiths and key-makers... and seen the utmost destitution:...the wife...almost crying with hunger and in rags, yet the floor was perfectly clean." Houses could be fine and clean, even if the families themselves were poor. Families sometimes lived in homes where they shared one bed, and starved a lot, yet the houses were clean and so were the people and clothes. And the better the location, the better the housing could be.

And of the worst houses, the living conditions were absolutley horrible. In (document F) "The room...was horrible...the place was reeking with the smell of filth. The two beds were black with body grease.. was stinking and rotten... while on the bed was...a little boy, naked except for a piece of cloth round its neck, thin...evidently ill, and apparently struggeling for breath.." It goes on to mention the room's condition. Maggots live under the bed and in the bed. The child drinks sour and curdled milk. and the room is just ville.

And in conclusion, the living conditions of a family living in England during the mid-nineteenth century, depended on the job, place of residence, conditon of the house, and the way the family lived.