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Norfolk: Poor Law after 1834 Act

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Downham Union

Union history

  • 1834 - Downham Poor Law Union was formed.
  • 1836 - Workhouse opened at Howdale Road, Downham Market, PE38 9AG, [Map reference TF613030]
  • Description is in Whites 1845 directory
  • 1895 - West Welney (That part of Welney in Cambridgeshire was transferred to Norfolk and created as a separate civil parish - note not ecclesiastical).
  • 1896 - Downham West was a civil parish created from Downham Market.
  • 1909 - Note that Nordelph (in Wisbech Union) was created from parts of Denver, Downham West, Outwell, Stow Bardolph and Upwell.
  • 1930 - Union dissolved.
  • 1933 - Kelly's directory lists it following the heading "Norfolk No 9 Guardians Committee" as "The Institution at the entrance of the town from the London Road, will hold 153 inmates".
  • 1937 - Kelly's directory - as 1933.
  • Also called "Howdale Home"
  • 1968 - Many buildings demolished - some remain.
  • Pre 2007 - "High Haven" a Residential Home was built on part of the site.

Before 1834 some of these parishes had their own Work or Parish House (WkHse) as shown.

  
PlacesEarlier Work
or Parish House
Barton Bendish 
Bexwell 
Boughton 
Crimplesham 
DenverWkHse
Dereham, West
  (West Dereham)
 
Downham MarketWkHse
Downham West
  (West Downham) (from 1896)
 
Fincham 
Fordham 
HilgayWkHse
Holme next Runcton
  (Runcton Holme)
 
Marham 
Roxham 
Runcton, South
  (South Runcton)
WkHse
Ryston 
Shouldham 
Shouldham-Thorpe 
PlacesEarlier Work
or Parish House
Southery 
Stoke Ferry 
Stow-BardolphWkHse
StradsettWkHse
TottenhillWkHse
Wallington cum
  Thorpland
WkHse
Watlington 
WelneyWkHse
Welney, West
  (West Welney) (from 1895)
 
Wereham 
Wiggenhall St. German 
Wiggenhall St. Mary
  Magdalen
 
Wiggenhall St. Mary
  the Virgin
 
Wiggenhall St. Peter 
WimbotshamWkHse
Wormegay 
Wretton 

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).

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.
August 2015