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Norfolk: Poor Law after 1834 Act

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Aylsham Union

Union history

  • Aylsham Poor Law Union was formed on 9th April 1836 from all the parishes in the Buxton Incorporation and the Oulton Gilbert Union together with some other parishes.
  • 1836 to 1849 - Workhouses used were at :-
    • 1. Oulton [on Aylsham Road at Map ref TG156276] was built in 1792 and used previously by the Oulton Gilbert Union.
    • 2. Buxton was built in 1801 and used initially by the Buxton Gilbert Union and then by the Buxton Incorporation from 1806. This workhouse was located to the S.E of Buxton about 0.5 mile outside the village and was subsequently demolished.
  • 1849 - New Workhouse at Cawston Road, Aylsham, NR11 6NA, [Map reference is TG185266] was opened replacing previous ones.
  • Description is in Whites 1845 directory
  • 1929 - Union dissolved and last Guardians meeting 1930.
  • 1933 - Kelly's directory describes the building as "The Institution erected in 1849 to house 619 inmates. Ronald Victor Rylance, master". "Norfolk No 2 Area Guardians Committee" is also mentioned.
  • 1937 - Kelly's directory - as 1933.
  • Building became St. Michael's Hospital.

Before 1834 some of these parishes belonged to Gilbert Unions, Incorporations or had their own Work or Parish House (WkHse) as shown. There were 3 districts (for administrative purposes), Buxton, Eynsford and Oulton to which parishes were allocated and these are noted in the table below by a "(B)", "(E)" or "(O)" respectively following the place name.

  
Aylsham Union
Places		Pre 1834 Union,
Incorporation
or Parish Work House
Alby (O)---
Aylsham (O)WkHse
Banningham (B)Oult-GU
Barningham, Little (O)
  (Little Barningham)		---
Belaugh (B)---
Blickling (O)Oult-GU
Brampton (B)Buxt-I
Burgh next Aylsham (B)Buxt-I
Buxton (B)Buxt-I
Calthorpe (O)---
Cawston (E)WkHse
Colby (O)Oult-GU
Coltishall (B)---
Corpusty (O)---
Erpingham (O)Oult-GU
Foulsham (E)WkHse
Guestwick (E)---
Hackford-by-Reepham (E)Hack-GU
Hautbois, Great (B)
  (Great Hautbois)		---
Hautbois, Little (B)
  (see Lammas)		---
Hevingham (B)Buxt-I
Heydon (E)WkHse
Hindolveston (E)WkHse
Ingworth (O)---
Aylsham Union
Places		Pre 1834 Union,
Incorporation
or Parish Work House
Irmingland (O)---
Itteringham (O)Oult-GU
Kerdiston (O)Hack-GU
Lammas with Little Hautbois (B)---
Mannington (O)---
Marsham (B)Buxt-I
Oulton (O)Oult-GU
Oxnead (B)Buxt-I
Reepham (E)Hack-GU
Salle (E)WkHse
Saxthorpe (O)---
Scottow (B)---
Skeyton (B)Buxt-I
Stratton Strawless (B)Buxt-I
Swanton Abbott (B)Buxt-I
Themelthorpe (E)---
Thurning (E)---
Thwaite All Saints (O)---
Tuttington (B)---
Whitwell (E)Hack-GU
Wickmere (O)---
Wolterton (O)---
Wood Dalling (E)---
Wood Norton (E)WkHse

Where "Buxt-I" = Buxton Incorporation, "Oult-GU" = Oulton Gilbert Union and "Hack-GU" = Hackford Gilbert Union.

Poor Law Records - Images

Online images of some poor law registers, admissions books etc. from 1796 to 1900 are available at the

  • LDS familysearch website https://www.familysearch.org/ (UK+Ireland records section)
  1. Go down the "Historical Record Collections"
  2. Select Title - "England, Norfolk Poor Law Union Records, 1796-1900"
  3. Select "Browse through xxx images"
  4. Under County pick - "Norfolk"
  5. Under Poor Law Union select the "Required Union"
  6. Records are under headings such as "District, Workhouse & Unknown etc."
  7. Alternatively use a search engine for "familysearch" "Norfolk Poor Law Union Records"

Other Websites

Acts, descriptions, maps, some pictures etc. can be found at :-
                www.workhouses.org.uk (The Story of Workhouses).

Books

Eve, Julian R.
The Poor in Aylsham 1700-1836
[Aylsham Local History Society, 1995]

Notes

The Norfolk Record Office reference for records of this Union is C/GP/1

Further information can be found:

See also the Poor Law page and the Post 1834 Unions page

These pages are for personal use only. They may not be copied, and the links within them may not be harvested for use on your own web pages. Please see the Copyright Notice.

Copyright © Mike Bristow.
May 2011