Terminology around the 1881 census

Thanks to feedback from our wonderful volunteers, we have decided to make sure that the terminology in the More Than Oliver Twist Exhibition is explained, with a page dedicated to clarifying the words we see in this research and how they are used in society, both historically and today. 

​The following is an extract from the information on the terminology page of the exhibition, and I would be really grateful to hear your feedback on what else can be included, if this is phrased appropriately and if there is anything you would change or add. Please do get in touch with your thoughts and ideas!

---

Language has the power to condemn or redeem people with a single word. There are words and phrases applied in the exhibition which are either considered offensive or may be deemed dehumanising. We have taken care to consider our terminology throughout, but would like to offer clarity on some terms that we come across in the research of these biographies.

Deserving and Undeserving Poor –

• Definition:

At the time of the 1881 census, the poor were categorised in two groups: the deserving poor – those who were regarded as victims of circumstance and deserved charity, and the underserving poor – those were believed responsible for their situation and therefore unworthy of sympathy.

Inmate –

• Definition:
• Noun [in-meyt]

A person confined to a hospital or prison, etc.

• Use in today’s society: Historically this term was used to describe the residents of the workhouse, and in fact today it is still used frequently used to refer to people in institutions such as prisons and psychiatric hospitals, however it is more common for terms such as “incarcerated person” to be used in prisons and “patient” in hospitals now. When talking about people in the workhouse, ‘inmate’ is still used, but it is important to remember that this  still refers to a real person, and therefore it may be more humane to say “resident” and not attribute a suggestive label to the people living in the workhouse.

Lunatic –

• Definition:
• Noun [loo-nuh-tik]

(Antiquated term) A person who is mentally ill (not in technical use). Attributed to ‘lunacy’ and stemmed from conditions such as epilepsy and ‘madness’ which were once considered to be ‘diseases caused by the moon’.

• Use in today’s society: This word should not be used in today’s society as it is offensive. Historically this term was frequently used in law and from these biographies it is clearly used quite frequently to describe some residents of the workhouse.

Pauper –

• Definition:
• Noun [paw-per]

1. A very poor person
2. (Historic) a recipient of relief under the provisions of the Poor Law or of public charity.

• Use in today’s society: This phrase is still used in academia to describe the poor and usually those supported by public money, such as in the workhouse, and is generally dependent on charitable assistance. Whilst it is appropriate to use this word as a historic description, we aim to not use it casually in the contemporary as it can be seen as a derogatory and dehumanising label.

​
Suicide –

• Definition:
• Noun [soo-uh-sahyd]

The intentional taking of one’s own life.

• Use in today’s society: It is common to hear people say “committed” suicide when describing someone who has taken their own life. This stems from historic context when it was considered a crime to do so, whereas now we should treat people experiencing suicidal thoughts with compassion and seek to understand and support. The phrase “committed suicide” is now both offensive and stigmatising and should be replaced with more considerate phrases such as “took their own life” or “died by suicide”.