Chorlton Poor Law Union facts for kids
The Chorlton Poor Law Union was a group of local areas in England that worked together to help poor people. It was set up in January 1837. This happened because of a new law called the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834. This law was also known as the New Poor Law.
A group of 19 elected people called "guardians" ran the Union. They looked after 12 different parishes, which are like small towns or districts. These areas included Ardwick, Burnage, Chorlton-upon-Medlock, Chorlton with Hardy, Didsbury, Gorton, Hulme, Levenshulme, Moss Side, Rusholme, Stretford, and Withington. Most of these places are now part of south Manchester, England.
Why Poor Law Unions Were Created
The Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 made local areas responsible for their poor citizens. It said that parishes should join together to form "poor law unions." Each union had to have at least one special building called a workhouse.
The new law made it harder for poor people to get help unless they went into a workhouse. Because of this, more than 500 workhouses were built across England and Wales over the next 50 years. The idea was to make sure people only got help if they truly needed it.
The areas in the Chorlton Union were all part of the old parish of Manchester. Later, some of them, like Ardwick and Hulme, became part of the town of Manchester. Most of the others, except Stretford, later joined the City of Manchester.
Early Workhouses and Growth
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The Chorlton Union's first workhouse was called the Stretford Road Workhouse. It could hold about 300 people. Inside, different groups of people were kept separate. This included children, sick people, and older people. Women stayed on one side of the building and men on the other. A dining hall and chapel were in the middle.
In 1831, about 46,465 people lived in the Chorlton Union area. But Manchester was growing fast because of factories and industry. Soon, the Stretford Road Workhouse was too small. There was no space to make it bigger. So, the guardians decided to build a second, much larger workhouse.
This new workhouse was called the Withington Workhouse. It opened in 1855 and cost a lot of money, about £53,000. It was big enough for up to 1500 people. The site also had a new cemetery for the union, called the Chorlton Union Cemetery. This cemetery was used until 1920.
The main offices for the Poor Law Guardians were built in 1881. This building also had a place to register births, deaths, and marriages. Since 1970, it has been used by a polytechnic, which is a type of college.
A famous person named Emmeline Pankhurst was also a member of the Board of Guardians. She worked to help people in the union.
Changes Over Time
In 1910, the Chorlton Union joined with another group called the South Manchester Township. Then, in 1915, all these groups became part of one big Manchester Union. At this time, the Withington Workhouse changed its name and became Withington Hospital. This shows how these old systems changed over time to become modern hospitals and services.
