Edward Sattin, Master of the Workhouse

Brighton General Hospital, once Brighton Workhouse
Image of Brighton General Hospital originally taken for the Hanovernet website

The 1881 census listed 1043 residents of the workhouse in Brighton. The Master at that time was Edward Sattin, who is described as being a true ‘Brightonian’.

He was educated under the supervision of Mr. W Bulton, the principal of a prominent school in Lewes. He became clerk to the Master of the workhouse and two years later married Miss Dawe, the assistant matron.

Two years later in 1850, they were both candidates for the joint appointments of Master and Matron of the workhouse. The Directors and Guardians received ten applications for the position.

An extract from the Brighton Times Album says of him: ‘There is not much scope in the dull routine of a Master’s official life, for the display of genius or exceptional talent… Mr Sattin, as it were, has a machine to work, and his business is to keep that machine in proper order’. (Brighton Times Album).

Comments about this page

  • In the 1940s, one of the wards was commissioned for the homeless. My mother, sister and I stayed there and I remember the boy in the opposite bed to me had a guitar and he kept singing the same song over and over agaion. “I want to get you on a slow boat to China” people used to throw things at him to shut him up.

    By Harry Atkins (28/05/2007)

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