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Poor Houses, Poor Law information for Chesterfield and places above it in the hierarchy

Chesterfield

  • Bastardy cases would be held in the Chesterfield petty session hearings. In 1820 these were held every Monday at the Town Hall. By 1895 they were moved to every Saturday at 11am.
     
  • There is an index of over 20 Chesterfield Bastardy Papers held at the DRO on the Yesterdays Journey website. Select "Bastardy Papers" on the left side, then "Chesterfield" from the list of parishes displayed.
     
  • A parish workhouse was erected in Chesterfield in 1735-7 at the south of the Market Place.
     
  • In 1767, forty-two Derbyshire parishes (some of which would later form part of the Chesterfield Poor Law union) voluntarily formed themselves into the Ashover Union. The Union bought a large former bath-house at Ashover for use as a joint workhouse.
     
  • The parish had eleven almshouses built at various times. In 1875, these were all taken down and rebuilt in Saltergate.
     
  • As a result of the 1834 Poorlaw Amendment Act reforms, this parish became the center of the Chesterfield Poorlaw Union on 19th October 1837. The workhouse was built in 1839 on Newbold Road and opened in December. It was designed to hold 300 inmates.
     
  • The workhouse later became Chesterfield's Scarsdale Hospital.
     
  • The site was redeveloped in 2001 and all the buildings demolished except for the main block.
     
  • David BEVIS a photograph of Chesterfield Workhouse on Geo-graph, taken in December, 2008.
     
  • E. EASTWOOD erected the Eventide Homes in Infirmary Road in 1907 for eight aged women of limited means.
     
  • St. Luke's Home for Aged Women was founded as a memorial to King Edward VII, who died in 1910.
     

Michael SPENCER tells us that the CHESTERFIELD Board in March, 1851, processed these Admissions:

  • Geo. PEACOCK Brampton born 1809 destitute
  • Wm. BLANKSBY Ashover born 1792 no work, a quiet man.
  • Ann LAUNDS Calow born 1826 bad usage of her husband and bad tongue of her own.
  • Geo. born 1848 and John born 1850 LAUNDS children of above
  • Ann CREE Sutton cum Duckmanton born 1800 a bad woman
  • Samuel GOODLAD Chesterfield cancer born 1830
  • Sarah GOODLAD Brampton born 1827 destitute
  • Benjamin GOODLAD Brampton born 1849 measles
  • Elizabeth FOREMAN Walton born 1843 deserted by mother
  • John FOREMAN Walton born 1845 deserted by mother.
     

Mike also tells us about these discharges that same Board meeting:

  • 24 Mar: Hannah BEARDSLEY removed to Basford a troublesome woman (in purple pencil is the name Brackenfield)
  • 24 Mar: Sarah STEVENSON Newbold. Dead born 1789.
  • 2 Apr: Thomas BEARDSLEY Run away, imbecile, born 1820. (in purple pencil is the name Brackenfield)
     

From the Derbyshire Times and Chesterfield Herald, January 1, 1859 (Thank you: Nivard OVINGTON):

Christmas at the Workhouse
At the Chesterfield Workhouse, on Christmas day, the inmates were regaled as usual at the costs of the guardians, at dinner, with the usual Christmas fare of roast beef and plum pudding and at tea with the other customary delicacies of the season. The men and women were indulged with a ration of beer.

Also from the same paper

On Christmas day, Mr Peter TAYLOR farmer of Sutton, gave 40lb of Beef to twenty of the oldest people of Bolsover 2lbs. and a loaf each.

In 1877-78 a Workmans' Home was erected for 89 single men.

The National Archives holds "Appointments of Chairmen of Boards of Guardians for the Poor under the Lunacy Act, 1891 (section 25)".

The Derbyshire Record Office holds "Chesterfield Settlement records 1904 - 1958".

Derbyshire

  • The local "Workhouse" was often the only hospital close to a parish, so the fact that someone was born or died there doesn't mean that the family was in the workhouse. Use the census to verify that fact.
     
  • Bastardy was not uncommon. Read more about this at our Bastardy Cases page.
     
  • Derbyshire Record Office staff created an index to removal orders 1707-1865. It is available on LDS FHL microfilm: 1702708.
     
  • Board of Guardians 1837-51. Lists of names of those who were examined as being in need of poor relief, transcribed by Michael SPENCER. Covers Poor Law Unions of Bakewell, Belper, Shardlow, Hayfield, Ashbourne and Chesterfield. The records for Derby Union have been lost.
     
  • A site "dedicated to the Workhouse - its buildings, its inmates, its staff and administrators, and even its poets..." - The Workhouse - created by Peter HIGGENBOTHAM.
     
  • The National Archives has several books: "National Archives". Enter "Workhouse" in the search box.
     

England

UK and Ireland

  • Peter Higginbotham's comprehensive The Workhouse website provides a wealth of information about Workhouses, the Poor Law and related issues.catalogue
  • If you are looking for someone who was in a workhouse, it is worth checking if they also appear in the Quarter Sessions records, held in County Record Offices - see the British Library's Discovery catalogue (use Advanced Search and select "Search Other Archives"). 
  • You can search and freely download documents of a number of Poor Law Unions across England and Wales from TNA.
  • Settlement Examinations in England and Wales - a detailed explanation, from LDS Familysearch, based on an article by Anthony Camp.