Montgomeryshire
 

Forden
llanfyllin
Machynlleth Workhouse
Montgomery
Newtown

Montgomeryshire Workhouses

Poor Law Unions in Montgomeryshire
Forden
Llanfyllin
Machynlleth
Montgomery and Welshpool
Newtown and Llanidloes

Montgomeryshire Collections Vol 22 1888

p 151-156 Poor Law Unions in Montgomeryshire
A Statement of the names of the several Unions and Poor Law
Parishes In England and Wales, and of the Population, Area and Rateable Value thereof in 1881. Together with the Post Town and Petty Sessional Division within which each parish is included. Presented to both Houses of Parliament September 1887.

The following are extracts from the above Statement, so far as
respects the Poor Law Parishes in Montgomeryshire, which it is considered will be useful as an historical record.
A Poor Law Parish is defined to be "a place for which a separate Poor Rate is, or can be made, or a separate Overseer is, or can be appointed. The Letter (W) following the name of a parish signifies that a workhouse is locally situated in such parish.
Abbreviations :-
Par = Parish - Tow = Township - Div = Division - Cha = Chapelry 

Union Pop 1881 Rateable Post Town Petty Session

In Cty Denbigh
Llanarmon m Mawr - par 152 1,186 Oswestry Chirk
Llancadwalader - par 203 1,501 do do
Llangedwyn - par 247 2,433 do do
Llanrhaiadr y - par 1383 7,844 do do

In Cty Montgomery
Carreghova - tow 511 3,162 Oswestry Deythur
Garthbeilbio - par 286 1,189 Welshpool Mathrafal
Guilsfield - par 2430 20,789 do Pool Upper
Hirnant - par 259 1,694 Oswestry Llanfyllin
Llandrinio - par 805 6,940 do Deythur
Llandisilio - par 611 6,464 do do
Llanerfyl - par 788 4,507 Welshpool Mathrafal
Llanfair Caereinion -p 2286 12,021 do do
Llanfechan - par 630 6,490 Oswestry Pool Lower
Llanfihangel - par 818 4,963 Llanfyllin Llanfyllin
Llanfyllin (W) - par 1774 8,782 do do
Llangadfan - par 923 4,285 Welshpool Mathrafal
Llangyniew - par 486 4,243 do do
Llangynog - par 465 1,536 Oswestry Llanfyllin
Llanrhaiadr yn- M - par 881 5,343 do do
Llansantffraid - par 437 4,420 do Deythur
Llansantffraid - par 802 6,306 do Pool Lower
Llanwyddyn w Cowby -par 453 2,388 Llanfyllin Llanfyllin
Myfod - par 1583 14,298 Welshpool do
Pennant - par 746 5,000 Oswestry do

Machynlleth Union formed 16th Jan 1837 by Order dated 22nd December 1836
In Cty Cardigan
Seybor y coed - tow 521 2,905 Machynlleth Geneurglyn

In Cty Merioneth
Pennal - par 667 3,253 do Estimanor
Towyn - par 3365 15,604 do do

In Cty Montgomery
Cemmes - par 946 4,362 do Machynlleth
Darowen - par 976 4,151 do do
Isgarreg - tow 397 1,929 do do
Llanbrynmair - par 1575 6,423 do do
Llanwrin - par 681 4,070 do do
Machynnleth (W) - tow 2026 5,982 do do
Penegoes - par 982 3,809 do do 
Uchygarreg - tow 381 2,255 do do


Newtown & Llanidloes Union formed 13th Feb 1837 by Order dated 17th Jan 1837
Aberhafesp - par 427 3,463 Newtown Newtown Upper
Bettws - par 572 4,909 do do
Carno - par 876 3,910 do Llanidloes Lower
Kerry - par 2093 17,325 do Newtown Upper
Llandinam - par 1541 10,243 do Llanidloes Lower
Llangurig - par 1605 6,826 Llanidloes Llanidloes Upper
Llanidloes - par 4939 21,038 do do
Llanllugan - par 289 1,698 Shrewsbury Newtown Lower
Llanllwchaiarn - par 2891 11,171 Newtown Newtown Upper
Llanwnog (W) - par 1747 8,318 do Llanidloes Lower
Llanwyddelan - par 385 2,504 Shrewsbury Newtown Lower
Manafon - par 627 4,290 do do
Moughtrey - par 508 2,725 Newtown Newtown Upper
Newtown - par 4279 17,457 do do
Penstrowed - par 129 1,661 do Llanidloes Lower
Tref Eglwys - par 1823 6,723 Llanidloes Llanidloes Upper
Tregynon - par 708 4,793 Newtown Newtown Upper


Powys RO Poor Law Records
http://archives.powys.gov.uk/hold/poor.html

All Poor Law Records for Montgomeryshire are held at the 
Powys Record Office.
County Hall
Llandrindod Wells
Powys
LD1 5LD

Tel: +44 (0) 1597 826088
email: archives@powys.gov.uk 
Web Site: http://archives.powys.gov.uk/ 


From an article in 'Cronicl Powys' #18 Spring 1988 - the journal of Powys FHS:

Montgomeryshire:
Under Gilbert's Act or 1782 a voluntary union was formed
'Montgomery and Pool Union' - House of Industry built 1795 located at what is today [1988] Brynhyfred Hospital, Forden. By 1870 the House of Industry had ceased and the building took over the role of a workhouse.

In Montgomeryshire following the 1834 Act Unions were formed at:
Newtown & Llanidloes (workhouse at Caersws)
Llanfyllin (workhouse Llanfyllin)
Machynlleth (workhouse Machynlleth)
Submitted by Mike Hall


The Montgomeryshire Collections Vol XLVIII 1944
p 148 The Great Poverty of the Old Days.

From all accounts great poverty prevailed in those days, especially at times of bad harvests and periods of depression, such as the Hungry Forties. The allowances made to the poor by the Board of Guardians were meagre in the extreme. The allowance to old people even during the latter part of the 19th century was only 2s-6d per week, and 3s per week to old couples.
Some old men received only 1s per week. How meagre were the allowances of the local Guardians is shown in the case of a man named Pugh, who worked at the Vyrnwy water works and throug a fall of earth was killed. There was no compensation from his employers, the Liverpool Corporation for his widow and child. On applying to the Llanfyllin Guardians she was allowed the sum of 2s-6d for herself and her child, on applying for an increase, she was refused.

The meagre allowances were supplemented by a very old local custom of allowing the poor to call at all houses and shops for the weekly - cardod - which was given to all callers on Friday of each week. The different shops had their weekly gift. In some cases it would be a halfpenny candle, in others a reel of cotton or piece of thread or tape. Private houses generally contributed a halfpenny a week, and farmers gave a basinful or a nogin of flour. At one time between 50 and 60 poor persons called around every week.

p 149 The Riot of 1837.
This disturbance occurred previous to the Chartist Movement, when similar scenes took place in other towns in the country. The Llanfair Riot was an uprising of the poor in opposition to the so-called New Poor Law of 1834. This new Poor Law was extremely unpopular throughout the country and especially in Wales. It was introduced at a time of a severe depression and consequent suffering and poverty. This new Act introduced the Workhouse system which was so much resented by the people. It was in 1837, when the new Poor Law officials came to Llanfair accompanied with the first Relieving Officer to introduce the new system, that they met a hospitle reception by a raging crowd. The rioters arranged themselves along the top of the churchyard wall, and when the officials arrived they were attacked with sticks, stones, and other missiles. The new relieving officer barely escaped with his life, up the Red Lion Yard where friends led by John Hassal, a relative of the present writer, and a very powerfulman, withheld the crowd with a pole in that narrow entrance and saved his life. The Yeomanry was called out to quell the disturbance, but by the time they reached Heniarth the riot was over. The action of the Yeomanry was characterised by a ballad writer of the time - as the Bloodless Battle of Heniarth - See Montgomeryshire Ballads by A Stanley Davis.

Source: From The Montgomeryshire Collections Vol XLVIII 1944 Submitted by Alan Longbottom
Llanfair Caereinion in the early 19th century by 
Charles H Humphreys J.P. pp 143-154

Statistics 

Summary of Results.
Workhouses.
Pauper inmates of Workhouse establishments in the Registration County number 272 persons of all ages, 192 Males and 80 Females. 
These represent approximately 0.43% of the general population.
At advanced ages the proportion is far higher; at 55 years and upwards the % is 1.38% and at 65 years and upwards is 1.90%.

The Blind, Deaf and Dumb
The number of persons returned as Blind is 44, and of these 1 is feeble minded also.

Deaf and Dumb persons including 8 returned simply as Dumb, number 35, and of these 1 suffers from some other Infirmity also.

Lunatics
Lunatics number 28, and the Imbecile and Feeble-minded 88, including 2 otherwise afflicted. The total of these classes is 116.
It may be noted that, of the 116 persons returned as mentally deranged, 52 were the inmates of Workhouses, and the remaining 64 were residing with relatives or in unlicensed houses.

Of the 52 mentally deranged persons enumerated in Workhouses, 27 were returned as a Lunatics and 25 as Imbecile, or Feeble-minded; and of the 64 not enumerated in Institutions, 1 was returned as a Lunatic and 63 as Imbecile or Feeble-minded.

From PP 1867/68 Vol XXXI pp 1-301
Twenty Second Report of the Commissioners in Lunacy 
to the Lord Chancellor

p 255 J - Workhouses, List of those visited in 1867
With Name of the Workhouse and numbers of insane, idiotic, and imbecile inmates

Source: Submitted by Alan Longbottom
From Census Statistical Volume 1901
County of Montgomery in PP 1903 Cd 1,435

Page last updated 06 August, 2007 by Rossbret