London Labour and the London Poor

Institutions that existed in the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries, casual wards provided assistance to those in poverty. However, they often imposed strict conditions and requirements. They were designed to provide temporary shelter and basic provisions for unhoused individuals who sought assistance from authorities. These wards were usually attached to workhouses, larger institutions where impoverished individuals were required to work in exchange for aid. Individuals were expected to perform menial tasks in return for their stay. The conditions in casual wards were often intentionally uncomfortable to discourage people from relying on them.

A working-class political movement that emerged in the United Kingdom during the mid-19th century, specifically between the 1830s and 1840s, chartism aimed to address the political and economic grievances of the working class by advocating for a series of reforms to increase political representation and improve the living conditions of the laboring population.

The movement derived its name from the “People’s Charter” of 1838, which demanded universal suffrage for all adult males, equal-sized electoral districts, abolition of the property qualification for Members of Parliament (MPs), payment for MPs, annual elections for the House of Commons, and a secret ballot to protect voters from intimidation.