102 High Street Cottenham

102 High Street, Poorhouse, Cottenham

History of 102 High Street

According to Cottenham in Focus (2002) p78, this was the site of the workhouse until 1834, when the poor of Cottenham had to go to Chesterton workhouse. The site was sold in 1840 to James Chivers who built the house.

Herbert Male, butcher, added the bay windows to let extra light into the rooms. Three of his children had consumption and it was felt that more light was beneficial. Sadly, the three children, Selena, Clara and Lizzie died of the disease.

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Cottenham Poorhouse
Cottenham illustrates the evolution from workhouse to poorhouse. Rather than concentrating upon productive labour, the parish increasingly provided accommodation and maintenance for those unable to support themselves through age, illness or disability. Murphy cites Cottenham as evidence that many rural communities gradually abandoned the original workhouse ideal of making poverty self-supporting through employment.

Source: Michael J. Murphy, Poverty in Cambridgeshire.

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1891

Herbert J Male, 34, butcher, b Cottenham

Dorah née Emerson, 40, b Cottenham

Frank W, 14, b Cottenham

Dorah E, 13, b Cottenham

Lizzie, 10, b Cottenham

Selina, 8, b Cottenham

Clara, 4, b Cottenham

Thomas J, 11 mos, b Cottenham

May Phipers, visitor, 13, b Cottenham

Lucy Maskell, 8, servant, b Cottenham

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1892

Lizzie Male, a student at Cottenham School in 1892 made these needlework samples. The piece shows delicate skills in some small samples, keeping to a colour scheme of white blue and red. The red-backed piece from left to right shows needle-turned appliqué, weaving, knitting, cross-stitching and pleating, most likely using a smock machine. The pink backed piece shows weaving, knit, smocking, needle-turned appliqué and cross stitching.

Red-backed sampler, CAMFK:1.64.47

Pink-backed sampler, CAMFK:2.64.47

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Selina Male, c.1883, d.Mar 1904

Clara Male, b c.1887, d. Sep 1905

Lizzie Males died in 1918 in Chesterton. She had married Ernest Charles Short at the Ebenezer Meeting House in Cottenham in Nov. 1908.