In 1833, a Poor Law Commission examined the working of the poor laws. Its report published in 1834 made several recommendations to Parliament. Each parish or union was to build a workhouse, the able-bodied poor could only receive help in a workhouse which was intended to act as a deterrent. A Board of Guardians was to be elected by ratepayers to collect the Poor Rate, govern the workhouse and report to the Poor Law Commission appointed by the government.
List of Poor Law Unions in Lancashire
Poor Law Unions (PLUs) were formed in the historic county of Lancashire after the enactment of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 when groups of townships were formed into unions. The PLUs were administered by Boards of Guardians which were expected to provide a central workhouse. The law was not popular and encountered considerable resistance in the more heavily industrialised areas and many PLUs were forced to adopt the legislation after pressure from parliament. One Gilbert Union, at Caton, remained in existence after 1834.
Lancashire Poor Law Union workhouses
editName and workhouse location | Photograph | Townships | Description and references |
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Ashton under Lyne |
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Barrow in Furness |
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Barton upon Irwell SJ763986 |
Barton-upon-Irwell, Flixton and Urmston from Chorlton PLU. Clifton and Worsley. Stretford joined soon after. Davyhulme, Eccles, Irlam and Swinton joined in 1894. | Formed on 30th October 1849 when several townships joined Clifton and Worsley which had not belonged a PLU. | |
Blackburn SD695266 |
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Bolton SD718064 |
Great Bolton, Little Bolton, Bradshaw, Breightmet, Edgworth, Entwistle, Farnworth, Halliwell, Harwood, Heaton, Horwich, Little Hulton, Middle Hulton, Over Hulton, Kearsley, Darcy Lever, Little Lever, Great Lever, Longworth, Lostock, Quarlton, Rumworth, Sharples, Tonge with Haulgh, Turton, Westhoughton. Astley Bridge, Belmont, Deane, and Smithills were added in 1894. | On 26 September 1861 the Bolton Union workhouse opened at Fishpool Farm in Farnworth. The land cost £2,880, and the workhouse was built to accommodate up to 1,045 inmates at a cost of around £25,000. It was designed in the Italianate style by architects George Woodhouse and Leigh Hall, the main building has a three-storey central section dominated by a 72 foot tower.
In 1930 the Bolton Union was abolished and the workhouse was known as Fishpool Institution. In 1948 under the National Health Service it became part of Townley's Hospital now the Royal Bolton Hospital.[2] | |
Burnley SD850347 |
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Bury |
Ainsworth, Ashworth, Birtle-cum-Bamford, Bury, Elton, Heap, Hopwood, Pilkington, Pilsworth, Radcliffe, Tottington Lower End, Walmersley. | ||
Caton |
Bolton-le-Sands, Borwick, Caton, Claughton, Farleton, Gressingham, Halton, Heysham, Hornby, Nether Kellet, Poulton, Bare, and Torrisholme, Over Kellet, Quernmoor (Quernmore), Slyne-with-Hest, Tatham, Wennington, and Wray-with-Botton | Gilbert Union | |
Chorley |
Adlington, Anderton, Anglezarke, Brindle, Charnock Richard, Chorley, Clayton-le-Woods, Coppull, Croston, Cuerden, Duxbury, Eccleston, Euxton, Heapey, Heath Charnock, Heskin, Hoghton, Leyland, Mawdesley, Rivington, Ulnes Walton, Welsh Whittle, Wheelton, Whittle le Woods, Withnell. Bretherton was added later. | Chorley Union workhouse, designed by JJ Bradshaw, was built between 1870 and 1872. | |
Chorlton | Ardwick, Burnage, Chorlton-upon-Medlock, Chorlton with Hardy, Didsbury, Gorton, Hulme, Levenshulme, Mosside, Rusholme, Stretford, and Withington.[3] | ||
Clitheroe |
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Fylde |
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Garstang |
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Haslingden |
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Lancaster |
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Leigh SD657013 |
Astley, Atherton, Bedford, Culcheth, Lowton, Pennington, Tyldesley cum Shakerley), Westleigh, Golborne from 1850, Newchurch Kenyon from 1845. | Leigh Union workhouse, a red brick gothic building, opened on Leigh Road, Atherleigh in 1855. It was enlarged in 1885 when an infirmary was built. In 1896 new offices, a steam laundry, workshops, stables, and vagrant wards were added. A men's pavilion was added in 1907-8, a women's pavilion built in 1913 by which time there was accommodation for 500 inmates.[4] | |
Liverpool |
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Lunesdale |
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Manchester SJ839991 |
Blackley, Bradford, Cheetham, Crumpsall, Failsworth, Harpurhey, Great Heaton, Little Heaton, Manchester, Moston, Newton, Prestwich. | The Manchester PLU was instituted on 11th December, 1840 and, because of the rapid growth of Manchester, in 1850 it became a Poor Law Parish and Prestwich PLU was formed from the other consituent parishes. The Manchester Union workhouse was in New Bridge St. In 1854 land to build a second workhouse and an infirmary was acquired at Crumpsall. The new workhouse opened from 1857. By 1886 the New Bridge St workhouse was overcrowded and in poor condition, the greater part of the site was sold to the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway to expand Victoria Station. The remaining land was redeveloped as offices and wards for the infirm, lunatics and women. | |
Oldham |
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Ormskirk |
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Prescot |
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Preston |
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Prestwich PLU SD849025 |
Blackley, Bradford, Cheetham, Crumpsall, Failsworth, Harpurhey, Great Heaton, Little Heaton,
Moston, Newton, and Prestwich. Beswickfrom 1858 and Claytonfrom 1894. |
The Prestwich Union was formed out of Manchester PLU on 13th February 1850. A new workhouse was built at Crumpsall in around 1868. After 1915 the Prestwich Union and the Manchester Union reunited and the workhouse became known as Crumpsall Infirmary Annexe. In 1918 it was renamed Delaunay's Road Institution, then Delaunay's Hospital, and in 1972 part of North Manchester General Hospital. | |
Rochdale |
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Salford |
Salford, Broughton, Pendlebury and Pendleton | This PLU was not formed until 1838 amid considerable opposition, it opened a new workhouse in 1953. | |
Toxteth Park |
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Ulverston |
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Warrington |
Burtonwood, Cuerdley, Golborne, Haydock, Houghton, Middletown and Arbury, Kenyon, Newton in Makerfield, Penketh, Poulton with Fearnhead, Rixton with Glazebrook, Great Sankey, Southworth and Croft, Warrington, Woolstone with Martinscrofts, Winwick. Little Sankey was added in 1894. | After initially using the old Warrington and Newton le Willows workhouses the Warrington Union workhouse was built between 1849 and 1851 at Lovely Lane in Warrington. | |
West Derby |
Aintree, Allerton, Bootle-cum-Linacre, Childwall, Great Crosby, Little Crosby, Croxteth Park, Everton, Fazakerley, Garston, Ince Blundell, Kirkby, Kirkdale, Litherland, Lunt, Netherton, Orrell and Ford, Sefton, Thornton, Toxteth Park, Walton on the Hill, Wavertree, West Derby. Seaforth and Waterloo were added in 1894. | In 1857 Toxteth Park was separated to operate as a Poor Law Parish. | |
Wigan SD575058 |
Abram, Ashton in Makerfield Aspull, Billinge Chapel End, Billinge Higher End, Blackrod, Dalton, Haigh, Hindley, Ince, Orrell, Parbold, Pemberton, Shevington, Standish with Langtree, Upholland, Wigan, Winstanley, Worthington, Wrightington. | The Wigan Union used workhouses at Hindley and Frog Lane, Wigan until 1857 when the new Wigan Union workhouse was built on Frog Lane. It was designed by William Mangnall in red brick and accommodated 574 inmates. .[5][6] An infirmary built on Upholland Road became Billinge Hospital which closed in 2004.[7] |
References
editFootnotes
- ^ "Poor Law Unions in North West England", workhouses.org.uk http://www.workhouses.org.uk/map/nwest.shtml, retrieved June 2013
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(help) - ^ "Bolton, Lancashire", workhouses.org.uk http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Bolton/, retrieved 6 November 2011
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(help) - ^ "Chorlton, Lancashire", workhouses.org.uk http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Chorlton/, retrieved 5 November 2011
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(help) - ^ "Leigh, Lancashire", workhouses.org.uk http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Leigh/, retrieved 6 November 2011
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(help) - ^ Poor Law Records, GenUKI, retrieved 19 December 2010
- ^ "Wigan, Lancashire", workhouses.org.uk http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Wigan/, retrieved 6 November 2011
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(help) - ^ Higginbothan 2006, p. 69
Bibliography
- Higginbotham, Peter (2006), Workhouses of the North, Tempus, ISBN 0-7524-4001-2
References
editFootnotes
Bibliography
- Higginbotham, Peter (2006), Workhouses of the North, Tempus, ISBN 0-7524-4001-2