Yorkshire Poor Law: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 00:04, 30 April 2011

An Act of Parliament in the year 1834 took the responsibility of administering to the poor from the local parish church to the doorstep of civil government. The government grouped each civil parish into a union of parishes. There were nearly 600 such unions throughout England, each one comprising close to 20 or more parishes, and were specifically setup to meet the demands of the poor among their local populations, with a workhouse on the premises. The responsbility was transferred from local parishes to a Board of Guardians in each union. These groupings or unions were known as poor-law unions. Yorkshire had many poorlaw unions within its boundaries.

The Poorlaw Unions[edit | edit source]

Yorkshire, East Riding

Beverley
Bridlington
Driffield
Howden
Kingston On Hull
Patrington
Pocklington
Sculcoates
Skirlaugh
York

Yorkshire, North Riding

Yorkshire, West Riding

Barnsley
Barwick in Elmot
Bierley
North Bradford
Bramley
Carlton
Dewsbury
Ecclesall Bierlow
Goole
Halifax
Hemsworth
Holbeck
Huddersfield
Hunslet
Keighley
Knaresborough
Leeds
Otley
Ouseburn Great
Pateley Bridge
Pontefract
Great Preston
Ripon
Rotherham
Saddleworth (Lancashire)
Sedburgh
Selby
Settle
Sheffield
Skipton
Thorne
Tadcaster
Wakefield
Wetherby
Wharfedale
Wortley

The Records[edit | edit source]

Records from the poorlaw unions, which were created from this time forward include the following:

Guardianship
Creed Registers
Rate books
Workhouse Lists of Inmates
Register of Apprentices
Register of Births
Register of Deaths
Vestry Rate Books
Admission and Discharge Registers
Board of Guardians' Records

Records at The Family History Library[edit | edit source]

To determine records availability for each poorlaw, search the Family History Library Catalog under the name of the county (Yorkshire), and then under the name of the poorlaw union, i.e. Wetherby, then under the term[s] "poorlaw" or "poorhouses".

Online Transcriptions Relating to Poorlaw Records[edit | edit source]

Here's a website providing history and a few online records

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{breadcrumb
+An Act of Parliament in the year 1834 took the responsibility of administering to the poor from the local parish church to the doorstep of civil government. The government grouped each civil parish into a union of parishes. There were nearly 600 such unions throughout England, each one comprising close to 20 or more parishes, and were specifically setup to meet the demands of the poor among their local populations, with a workhouse on the premises. The responsbility was transferred from local parishes to a Board of Guardians in each union. These groupings or unions were known as poor-law unions. Yorkshire had many&nbsp;poorlaw unions within its boundaries.
-| link1=[[England Genealogy|England]]
-| link2=[[Yorkshire, England Genealogy|Yorkshire]]
-| link3=
-| link4=
-| link5=[[Yorkshire Poor Law |Poor Law ]]
-}}{{Yorkshire-sidebar}}
-==Online Resources==
+=== The Poorlaw Unions  ===
-*'''1558-1939''' [https://search.findmypast.com/search-world-records/yorkshire-sheffield-social-and-institutional-records-1558-1939 Yorkshire, Sheffield Social and Institutional Records 1558-1939] at Findmypast — index & images ($)
-*'''1700-1915''' [https://search.findmypast.com/search-world-records/yorkshire-sheffield-workhouse-admissions-1700-1915 Yorkshire, Sheffield, Workhouse Admissions 1700-1915] at Findmypast ($)
-==Background==
-An Act of Parliament in the year 1834 took the responsibility of administering to the poor from the local parish church to the doorstep of civil government. The government grouped each civil parish into a union of parishes. There were nearly 600 such unions throughout England, each one comprising close to 20 or more parishes, and were specifically setup to meet the demands of the poor among their local populations, with a workhouse on the premises. The responsibility was transferred from local parishes to a Board of Guardians in each union. These groupings or unions were known as poor-law unions. Yorkshire had many poorlaw unions within its boundaries.
-=== The Poor Law Unions  ===
 <u>Yorkshire, East Riding</u>
@@ Line 29: / Line 16: @@
 *York
 <u>Yorkshire, North Riding <br></u>
-*[[Aysgarth Poor Law Union, Yorkshire]] see predecessor [[Bainbridge Gilbert Poor Law Union, Yorkshire]]
+*<u></u>Aysgarth
-*[[Bedale Poor Law Union, Yorkshire]]
+*Bedale
 *[[Easingwold Poor Law Union, Yorkshire]]
 *[[Guisborough Poor Law Union, Yorkshire]]
 *[[Helmsley Poor Law Union, Yorkshire]]
-*[[Kirkby Moorside Poor Law Union, Yorkshire]]
+*Kirky Moorside
-*[[Leyburn Poor Law Union, Yorkshire]]
+*Leyburn
 *Malton
 *[[Middlesbrough Poor Law Union, Yorkshire]]
 *[[Northallerton Poor Law Union, Yorkshire]]
-*[[Pickering Poor Law Union, Yorkshire]]
+*Pickering
-*[[Reeth Poor Law Union, Yorkshire]]
+*Reeth
-*[[Richmond Poor Law Union, Yorkshire]]
+*Richmond
 *Scarborough
 *[[Stokesley Poor Law Union, Yorkshire]]
-*[[Thirsk Poor Law Union, Yorkshire]]
+*Thirsk
-*[[Whitby Poor Law Union, Yorkshire]]
+*Whitby
 <u>Yorkshire, West Riding</u>
@@ Line 82: / Line 69: @@
 *Skipton
 *Thorne
-*Tadcaster
+*Tadcaster<span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1286922324356_167" />
 *Wakefield
 *Wetherby
@@ Line 88: / Line 75: @@
 *Wortley
-=== <br>The Records  ===
+=== <br>The Records ===
 Records from the poorlaw unions, which were created from this time forward include the following:
@@ Line 105: / Line 92: @@
 <br>
-=== Online Transcriptions Relating to Poor Law Records  ===
+=== Records at The Family History Library ===
+To determine records availability for each poorlaw, search the Family History Library Catalog under the name of the county (Yorkshire), and then under the name of the poorlaw union, i.e. Wetherby, then under the term[s] "poorlaw" or "poorhouses".<br>
+=== Online Transcriptions Relating to Poorlaw Records ===
-For more information on the history of the workhouse, see Peter Higginbotham's website: [http://workhouses.org.uk/ The Workhouse] and [http://www.workhouses.org.uk/map/yorks.shtml Poor Law Unions in Yorkshire map] for more information on the history] of the workhouse, providing history and a few online records
+[http://www.workhouses.org.uk/index.html?England/UnionsEngland.shtml Here's a website] providing history and a few online records
-{{Place|Yorkshire|Poor Law Unions}} {{Poor Law}} [[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
+{{Place|Yorkshire|Poor Law Unions}}
+{{Poor Law}}