Norfolk: Poor Law after 1834 Act

Walsingham Union

Union history

1834 - Walsingham Poor Law Union was formed.
1838 - Workhouse was at Great Snoring and located at a junction (west of Thursford Common and north of Vinepark Farm) on the Thursford to Little Walsingham Road where the side road goes to Great Snoring, c. NR21 0PB, [Map reference is TF967352]. Also known as "Thursford Workhouse".
Description is in Whites 1845 directory
1869 - Parishes of Brinton, Burgh Parva and Melton Constable joined this Union. These were all in the former Brinton Gilbert Union indicated by "Brinton-GU" in the table below.
1930 - Union dissolved.
1933 - Kelly's directory has under "Norfolk No. 7 Guardians Committee" the "The Walsingham Institution erected in 1837 will hold 200 inmates".
1937 - Kelly's directory - as 1933. Under "Little Snoring" is a Children's Home called "Red House".
1950 (publ. 1952) - Marked as "Smallpox Hospital" on OS 6inch map "XVI - NE".
1960's - Building demolished.
Marked as "Thursford Castle" on some maps.

Before 1834 some of these parishes belonged to Gilbert Unions, Incorporations or had their own Work or Parish House (WkHse) as shown.

Walsingham Union Places	Pre 1834 Union, Incorporation or Parish Work House
Alethorpe
Bale (or Bathley)
Barney
Barsham, East (East Barsham)
Barsham, North (North Barsham)
Barsham, West (West Barsham)
Binham
Blakeney
Briningham
Brinton (from 1869)	Brinton-GU (Pre 1869)
Burgh Parva (from 1869)	Brinton-GU (Pre 1869)
Cockthorpe
Dunton cum Doughton
Egmere
Fakenham (or Fakenham Lancaster)	WkHse
Field Dalling
Fulmodeston cum Croxton
Gunthorpe
Helhoughton
Hempton
Hindringham
Holkham	WkHse
Houghton-in-the-Hole (Houghton St Giles)
Kettlestone
Langham
Melton Constable with Burgh Parva (from 1869)	Brinton-GU (Pre 1869)
Morston
Pensthorpe
Pudding Norton
Quarles

Walsingham Union Places	Pre 1834 Union, Incorporation or Parish Work House
Raynham, East (East Raynham or Rainham St. Mary)	WkHse
Raynham, South (South Raynham or Rainham St. Martin)
Raynham, West (West Raynham or Rainham St. Margaret)	WkHse
Ryburgh, Great (Great Ryburgh)
Ryburgh, Little (Little Ryburgh)
Saxlingham
Sculthorpe
Sharrington
Shereford
Snoring, Great (Great Snoring)
Snoring, Little (Little Snoring)
Stibbard
Stiffkey
Swanton-Novers
Tatterford
Tattersett
Testerton
Thursford
Toftrees
Walsingham, Great (Great Walsingham)	WkHse
Walsingham, Little (Little Walsingham)	WkHse
Warham All Saints	WkHse
Warham St. Mary	WkHse
Wells-next-the-Sea	WkHse
Wighton	WkHse
Wiveton

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 (UK+Ireland records section)

Go down the "Historical Record Collections"
Select Title - "England, Norfolk Poor Law Union Records, 1796-1900"
Select "Browse through xxx images"
Under County pick - "Norfolk"
Under Poor Law Union select the "Required Union"
Records are under headings such as "District, Workhouse & Unknown etc."

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.

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If you use this information in your research, please say that it is from Genuki Norfolk.