THE WORKHOUSE MASTERS of past centuries do not have a good reputation, mainly because of the novels of Charles Dickens who portrays them as cruel and tyrannical and the treatment of Oliver Twist and his fellow inmates is a reminder of the harsh conditions that many were forced to endure when they fell on hard times. 

Life in the workhouse here in Bourne during the 19th century was little different because the Board of Guardians who ran it enforced a strict regime in a bid to encourage the poor to seek employment rather than live in such grim and uncongenial surroundings.  

The social disgrace of the workhouse system remained well into the 20th century and today it is remembered in folklore and literature as a place synonymous with hunger and poverty. Improvements in social conditions brought about its gradual decline and by 1905, other charities were springing up to provide relief for the poor. Then in 1908, a Royal Commission tried to end the stigma of poverty with the establishment of a Public Assistance Authority and the creation of new social services in the years following the First World War meant that the days of institutional assistance were over. 

In 1930, the workhouse in Bourne became known as the Public Assistance Institution, later Wellhead House, a hospital for the mentally handicapped and then St Peter's Hospital but that too was eventually phased out and the building finally demolished in 2001, the last reminder of this grim chapter in our social history. 

Research has proved however that not all of the workhouse masters at Bourne were quite so formidable as those portrayed by Victorian novelists and one man in particular not only earned the respect of the inmates but also became a pillar of the local community. 

Alfred Yates was in charge for almost thirty years, having previously held a similar post at Toxteth Park in Liverpool and before that had served as master of the workhouse in Leeds. He and his wife Elizabeth were appointed master and matron at a special meeting of the Board of Guardians on 8th September 1880 when applications from 18 other couples were considered. After interviews and a check on their testimonials, they were giving the job with an agreed salary of £75 per year plus food and accommodation.  

Yates soon became well known in the district and took an active part in many social functions. He played cricket regularly for the town and often acted as umpire while his keen interest in gardening made him one of the founders of the Bourne Horticultural Society and later a principal exhibitor and prize winner. He was also fond of fishing as a pastime and he became an active member of the Bourne Angling Association. 

But his main interest was in freemasonry and he became a prominent member of the Hereward Lodge in Bourne to which he was strongly attached and had held various offices including Worshipful Master, being elected to this high honour twice, in 1896 and again in 1909. For many years he also sang with the Abbey Church choir and until his health began to fail, he was one of the more regular attenders. 

Yates died in April 1910 at the age of 60 and after a funeral service at the Abbey Church he was buried in the town cemetery. When the funeral cortege passed by, the blinds in all of the houses along the route were drawn as a mark of respect and his friends followed the hearse on foot through the streets to the graveside. 

His wife Elizabeth survived him by 40 years and died at the age of 95 in 1950 when she was interred in the same unmarked grave. Reporting his death, a local newspaper said: "His passing has come as a great shock to his family and to a large circle of friends. He always endeavoured to treat his inmates with kindness and sympathy whilst he was also regarded by the Board of Guardians as an excellent officer." 

Yates appears to have set a new standard for caring because his successor was equally popular. He was Sidney Hancock who had joined the poor law service after nine years with the regular army, latterly as a sergeant with the cavalry in India, and he arrived in Bourne in 1910 with his wife Margaret who was appointed matron. But his time in office was short lived because his health deteriorated and he died on Sunday 24th January 1915 at the age of 42.  

Yet despite this brief spell as master, he had become extremely popular, earning the respect and esteem of both inmates and staff and this may have had a bearing on the decision by the Board of Guardians to appoint his wife to succeed him, a most unusual occurrence at that time when preference was always given to married couples. There was some opposition to a woman running the workhouse but Mrs Hancock persuaded everyone that she was quite capable of filling the post and was given a suitable salary increase and a clerk to assist with the paperwork. 

The board’s confidence was not misplaced because she proved to be extremely efficient in her job, making many changes for the benefit of the inmates who regarded her as a strict disciplinarian but also as someone who was kind and considerate, especially towards the children.

Mrs Hancock retired as matron in 1936 by which time the workhouse had been re-designated the Bourne Public Assistance Institution. The Board of Guardians were sad to see her go and presented her with a large tray to mark her retirement to Lancashire where she died in the late 1950s at the age of 90, still remembered by many of the inmates who had been in her charge.  

Some regarded her as a battleaxe but she was credited with making living in the workhouse more like a home and to many of the inmates, Mrs Hancock had a heart of gold while she herself was proud of having brought hundreds of babies into the world during her 26 years there.