The post of Nurse (in 1857, £18 per year plus board and lodging) appeared more frequently, probably prompted by the many scandals brought to the attention of the Poor Law Board, who often demanded a scapegoat – usually the nurse and porter. One example of the sort of problems they had to deal with follows:

Monday January 21st 1856

Three men and three women were brought up in custody, under a warrant, charged with absconding from the Highworth and Swindon Union Workhouse, but no person being present to prefer any charge against them, police sergeant Hall was sent off for Mr Houghton, the master of the workhouse, and business was suspended for some hour or hour and a half waiting his arrival. He having at length made his appearance, the case was gone on with, when it appeared that on Monday morning last the three women were impertinent, and refused to go to their work, and that Mr Houghton, as a punishment, was taking them to the back part of the house for the purpose of locking them up, when they ran off across the garden, and the three men who were working at the time in the garden ran off after them. He, the master, made no effort to prevent their going, as it was against orders that he should do so. Mr Daubney, ‘You surely do not mean to say that you have not the power to prevent running away. It is perfectly disgraceful!'

The women, in answer to the charge, said they were very unfairly treated by the master and the matron; they were put to do more work than the other inmates, and their food was changed. When being taken to be locked up they ran off across the garden, but neither the master nor the matron did anything to prevent their getting away, but stood laughing and grinning at them. They knew nothing of the men running away till they came up with them in the field adjoining the garden. The men said that seeing the women running away, they ran after them for fun. A witness was called by Mr Houghton, who stated that the three women had determined on the previous Sunday to do something to get to gaol, ‘for a change', and that it was first determined to break the windows for the purpose of accomplishing their object, but that they gave up this idea for that of running away.

Mr Daubney said the bench would send the women to gaol for one month each, and the men for 40 days each. He also felt bound to say to Mr Houghton, the master, ‘You did not do your duty in not attempting to prevent those prisoners running away. Instead of laughing and grinning at them, you should have used your best endeavours to have got them back, and if you could not have succeeded yourself you should have called the porter to your assistance. It would appear that you were endeavouring to get the inmates into the clutches of the law, rather than to keep them in proper order. The state of the workhouse is disgraceful and we have more trouble with it than there is with all the other workhouses in the country put together.'
Mr Houghton stoutly denied the women's statement that he stood and laughed at their running away.

But there were happier times as well as shown by this account of the Christmas festivities in 1857.

January 5th 1857.

On Christmas day the inmates of the Union workhouse were treated with a plentiful supply of beef, plum pudding and beer, the expense having been defrayed by voluntary subscription from the ratepayers and inhabitants residing in the neighbourhood. After dinner tobacco was supplied to the men and snuff to the women, and oranges and nuts were distributed amongst the children.

Local elections to the Board of Governors of the Highworth and Swindon Union were not without controversy as the following report illustrates:

Monday May 26th 1856

Mr Wheeler and the Board of Guardians.
On Friday last, May 23rd. Hawley Esq., one of the inspectors appointed under the Poor Law Board, held a court at the Board Room, Union Workhouse, Stratton St. Margaret, to enquire into petition that had been presented to the Poor Law Board by Mr J.C. Townsend of Swindon, against Mr C.A. Wheeler of the same place, as an elected Guardian of the Poor for the Parish of Swindon. Mr Townsend conducted his own case and a Mr Cornish appeared for Mr Wheeler.

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