Workhouses of Wales and the Welsh Borders

A comprehenisve illustrated guide to the workhouses in Wales and the border counties of Cheshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire. A survey in 1776 recorded almost 2,000 parish workhouses operating in England, while the number in Wales was just 19. The New Poor Law of 1834, which created a system of Poor Law Union areas served by large workhouses, proved equally unattractive in Wales. In contrast to their English neighbours, some Welsh unions resisted the building of a workhouse until the 1870s. Our image of the workhouse has often been coloured by authors such as Charles Dickens. But what was the reality? And where were workhouses located? People are often surprised to discover that a familiar building, perhaps now turned into flats, or still forming part of a local hospital, was once a workhouse. This copiously illustrated book provides a guide to the workhouses set up across Wales and in the border counties of Cheshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, some of whose unions straddled the Welsh border. AUTHOR: Peter Higginbotham has been researching workhouses for almost 20 years and has published extensively on the subject. In 2015 he was awarded the Society of Genealogists’ prestigious ‘Certificate of Recognition’ for his ‘dedication in compiling extensive information on workhouses and children’s homes and making it widely available.’ He has made many media appearances including on several episodes of the BBC TV shows ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ and ‘Heir Hunters’. He lives in West Yorkshire.
120 b/w illustrations