Norfolk: Poor Law after 1834 Act

Wayland Union

Union history

• 1834 - Wayland Poor Law Union was formed.
• 1836 - Workhouse at The Street, Rockland All Saints, NR17 1TT, [Map reference is TL9925096950]
• 1841 - From the Guardians minutes we see the Union was split into 2 districts as follows :-
  • Attleborough District comprised the parishes of :-
    • Attleborough, Besthorpe, Great Ellingham, Little Ellingham, Hargham, Larling, Rockland All Saints, Rockland St. Andrew, Rockland St. Peter, Snetterton, Shropham.
  • Watton District comprised the parishes of :-
    • Banham, Breckles, Carbrooke, Caston, Griston, Hockham, Illington, Merton, Ovington, Scoulton, Stow Bedon, Thompson, Tottington, Watton.
    • Note that Roudham appears for the first time in the Guardians Minute Books on the 6/March/1843 [Page 359].
• 1843 - March 27th - Amounts to contribute are as follows (for Quarter ending June 24th) :-
  • Attleborough - £300, Besthorpe - £105, Breckles- £20, Carbrooke - £70, Caston - £80, Great Ellingham - £210, Griston - £35, Hargham - £5, Hockham - £50, Illington - £5, Larling - £30, Little Ellingham - £40, Merton - £25, Ovington - £40, Rockland All Saints - £40, Rockland St. Andrew - £25, Rockland St. Peter - £40, Roudham - £5, Scoulton - £70, Shropham - £45, Snetterton - £55, Stow-Bedon - £40, Thompson - £70, Tottington - £30, Watton - £130.
• Description is in Whites 1845 directory.
• 1902 - Gained parishes from Guiltcross Union.
• 1930 - Union dissolved.
• 1933 - Kelly's directory has no mention under Rockland All Saints.
• 1937 - Kelly's directory - as 1933
• 1939 - Not in use.
• Most buildings have now been demolished.
• Remaining buildings converted to a house called "Wayland House"

The Union also established an Infirmary at Attleborough.

• 1912-14 - "Attleborough Infirmary" located on Ellingham Road, Attleborough, NR17 1AE, [Map reference is TM0305096150]
  "Cakes Hill" or "Cades Hill" is the area of land where the Hospital is located. "Cades Hill House" was either part of or connected with the Infirmary.
• 1933 - Whites directory (under Swaffham) has a section "Norfolk No 11 Area Guardians Committee" says the Infimary is available for 110 inmates and stands in 15 acres.
• c.1939-1945 - Attleborough Emergency Hospital for Services Casualties and Sick
• 1948 - Became part of the National Health Service - "Wayland Hospital"
• c.2000 - closed
• 2004 - St Luke's Hospital
• 2006 - Some buildings demolished.
• Other names associated with the site "Bickley Day Hospital".

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

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:

• about locations in the Towns and Parishes pages.
• about which hundred a parish occurs in.

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.
November 2015