The Hampshire Family Historian | Volume 51 No.4 | March 2025

Local Group Programmes

His son Joseph (b1803) was a house painter who married in Portsea before settling in the London area with children baptised in Islington, Lambeth and Greenwich. Sadly, his wife died young and he ended up paralysed living with some children in Islington workhouse. But he loved being there and even took to writing poetry which was sent to Isambard Brunel. The work, which Peter read, is remarkably sophisticated considering he probably had a poor education.. Richard Backhouse Forthcoming Meetings:

Members' Evening

March 13th April 10th

Australian Links - a tale of transportation

Richard Backhouse

Members' Evening

May 8th

Women, the home and Spanish flu in the Great War Ian Porter

June 12th

Contact: Email: basingstoke@hgs-online.org.uk

Basingstoke Meetings normally commence at 7. 30 p.m. and are

held on the fourth Wednesday every month (except August and December) at The Roger Morris Community Centre, Eastrop Way, Basingstoke, RG21 4QE (October) Victorian Pharmacy – Kill or Cure – Dr Judy Hill Judy joined the group by Zoom and gave a brief outline of the way illness was viewed and treated from the Middle Ages. “Cures” included blood-letting, leeches, purging, opium, mercury, arsenic through to ‘taking the waters’. Serious conditions could not be treated and even problems such as the poor setting of broken bones often resulted in the sufferer being unable to work again. In a report of 1842 entitled Report on the Sanitary Condition of the Labouring Population of Great Britain, Edwin Chadwick highlighted the link between health and poor sanitation. The first Public Health Act was passed in 1848. Medicines, including poisons, were available from chemists and druggists and the Pharmacy Acts of 1858 and 1868 introduced registration for these shops. The use of herbal remedies was greatly reduced and proprietary medicines, with largely pretentious claims of cures, flooded the market. By 1900s chemist shops like Boots had been established all over the country and qualified pharmacists were employed. (November) Christmas Evening Members brought their own food and drink and took part in a (tough) general knowledge quiz. There was also a picture quiz with a “Golden” theme to celebrate the HGS 50th Anniversary. A fun evening was had by all.

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