Poor Law and Workhouse Records - Online Now

[brickwalls]

The National Archives have just released the Poor Law and Workhouse Records for free access on their website.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/docu ... khouse.asp

You can download records of the Poor Law Unions listed below. All the records start at 1834, the year of the Poor Law Amendment Act.

Axminster Poor Law Union, Devon and Dorset, 1834- 1848
Basford Poor Law Union, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, 1834- 1845
Berwick upon Tweed Poor Law Union, Northumberland, 1834- 1852
Bishop’s Stortford Poor Law, Union Hertfordshire and Essex, 1834- 1852
Blything Poor Law Union, Suffolk, 1834-1840
Bromsgrove Poor Law Union, Worcestershire, 1834-1842
Cardiff Poor Law Union, Glamorganshire, 1834- 1853
Clutton Poor Law Union, Somerset, 1834- 1853
Keighley Poor Law Union, Yorkshire West Riding, 1834- 1855
Kidderminster Poor Law Union, Worcestershire, 1834- 1849
Liverpool Vestry (technically not a Poor Law Union, it retained vestry status throughout the 19th century), 1834- 1856
Llanfyllin Poor Law Union, Montgomeryshire and Denbighshire, 1834-1854
Mansfield Poor Law Union, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, 1834- 1849
Mitford and Launditch Poor Law Union, Norfolk, 1834- 1849
Newcastle under Lyme Poor Law Union, Staffordshire, 1834- 1856
Newport Pagnell Poor Law Union, Buckinghamshire, 1834- 1855
Reeth Poor Law Union, Yorkshire North Riding, 1834- 1871
Rye Poor Law Union, East Sussex and Kent, 1834- 1843
Southampton, Hampshire (technically not a Poor Law Union but an earlier incorporation), 1834- 1858
Southwell, Nottinghamshire, 1834- 1871
Truro Poor Law Union, Cornwall, 1834- 1849
Tynemouth Poor Law Union, Northumberland, 1834- 1855
Wolstanton and Burslem Poor Law Union, Staffordshire, 1834- 1851

[snoopysue]

Thanks Brickwalls.
I know there were some of my lot in workhouses, and one who seemed to have several kids by different fathers who is mentioned in some records, so that's one more place to look!

[brickwalls]

No worries.

So far, I've not managed to find any reference to workhouses in my family, which has come as somewhat of a surprise, based on what I have been able to find.

[Fatman]

Do you know if they are adding more?

I have at least 2 workhouses in my family but neither are listed - I know at least 1 lot of records exists...

[brickwalls]

I don't know I'm afraid, there's more information on the URL in the first post.

I only know about these documents because the BBC had a story on their website about it.

[Northern Lass]

Hey BW brill

add it to the useful links on here too and one of the mods will add it to the selection in there

[brickwalls]

Just added it to the links section now

I must admit, there are records missing from the list. Manchester for example isn't there, and I happen to know that the Manchester Royal Infirmary, the former Withington Hospital and Salford Royal Hospital are all former workhouses. Still, it's better than nothing and there is the chance that they're working to add more to what is currently available.

Plus it could be worse, they could've decided to sell the documents and let Ancestry et al charge for access to them...

[grangers14]

Ive added it to the links.
Interesting reading too, not names of mine just random ones I looked at!
If volunteers there may be more? Will be interesting to see but may all they have now or what people have?
Jo

[brickwalls]

Ive added it to the links.
Interesting reading too, not names of mine just random ones I looked at!
If volunteers there may be more? Will be interesting to see but may all they have now or what people have?
Jo

I can imagine that there are more records than what they have. Churches and governments both keep excellent records for hundreds of years. I can sense this being the same as the FreeBMD/FreeCEN projects where slowly but surely the available records are uploaded. They do have the advantage of not having an ever increasing number of records to work through though.