Deal Justly With All: A history of poverty and charity in King's Lynn

This 1830s lusterware jug, was produced in a Sunderland pottery. It depicts a powerful poetic message, showing the struggle for equality between rich and poor was, and has always been, a relevant issue across time itself: “Deal Justly with all, Speak evil of none”. Do you agree?

Servants used voiding knives in wealthy homes during Tudor times. They swept scraps from the dinner table into a basket named the voider; even bones were not wasted. These scraps were doled out to the poor. Does this term sound familiar?

The 12 Burkitt Almshouses were built for and endowed in 1909, by the nephew of William Burkitt, Mayor 1863 and 1886.  Did you know they are still used as social housing for single people over 55, living in the Borough today?

Symbolic 21st birthday keys signify the start of independent adult life. This tradition dates from the times when at twenty-one, you were considered old enough to be a key-holder to your family's home, and thus hold a symbolical 'senior' position in the family.

After 1834, workhouses became the main source of help for the poor and needy. Funded by taxpayers, conditions inside were designed to be tough in order to discourage all but the absolutely desperate from entering. 

This unused employee card from King’s Lynn Housing Department is from the 1970s. By then, attitudes had changed and homeless people were no longer punished or sent to the workhouse- but social housing was in short supply. How much has changed since then?

This photo portrays the poor and impoverished conditions that many families had to live through in the early 1900s. Living within this derelict housing showcases that simply having a roof over your head does not guarantee shelter and security. What’s your take on this?

Low income settlements with a poor reputation were typically subjected to slum clearance in the early 1900s. This was a form of urban renewal strategy which transformed them into new, and often more costly, refurbished housing.  Do you think this still happens today?

‘Benevolence’ means ‘kindness’.  This 19th century child’s mug encouraged its owner to think of others.  Many Victorians believed their ‘Christian duty’ was to give to charity - and it would save their souls too. What motivates people to help others today?

Before state funding, churches collected funds for the poor using the poor box or church plate. This poor box is embossed with the name of  W.S.V. Miles, Mayor, 1894, whose portrait hangs in the Town Hall. Are collection boxes used effectively by churches and charities today?

Mayor Miles' rich surroundings and golden regalia sharply contrast the simple wooden Poor Box that bears his name.