Halstead Poor Law Union, Essex Genealogy

History
A parliamentary report of 1777 listed a parish workhouse in operation in Halstead (sometimes spelt Halsted) with accommodation for up to 80. There were also parish houses at Castle Hedingham (65), Castle Hedingham erected a parish workhouse in the early 1760s which is thought to be a house at the north side of Nunnery Street.. In 1763, the master of the workhouse received a salary of £18.10s per annum, with the parish also paying for the inmates' maintenance. Great Earls Colne (42), Engain Colne [Colne Engaine] (30), Colne Engaine had a workhouse in operation by the 1750s. In 1756, William Andrews was appointed as master of the workhouse at a salary of 14 s. per month. The workhouse appears to have ceased operation for a period during the 1760s but had re-opened by 1775. In 1786, John Spurgeon and his wife took over management of the establishment at a salary of £12 per annum. A house at the west side of The Green in Colne Engaine served as the parish's workhouse in its latter years.

Gosfield (20), Great Yeldham (20), Pebmarsh (12), Ridgewell (24), Sible Hedingham (30), Sible Hedingham had a workhouse by 1745, located in two rented cottages on Church Street. What is now the White Lion public house on Church Street is reputed to have formerly been used as the workhouse.

Toppesfield (30). Refer to parish pages for further history of these parish relief schemes and vestry accounts

Halstead's workhouse was located at the north-east of the town in what is now Mill Chase, formerly known as School Lane, and prior to that as Workhouse Lane. By the 1830s, the buildings included a kitchen, dining-room, factory, male and female dormitories, brew-house, and piggery.

Halstead Poor Law Union was formed on 6th November 1835. A new Halstead Union workhouse was built in 1838 at a site on North Street (now Hedingham Lane). It was designed by William T Nash, who was also the architect of Union workhouses at Royston, St Ives, Halstead, and Caxton and Arrington. In 1870, infectious wards were added at the rear, forming the basis of the infirmary which was extended in 1893 and 1901. By 1922, the workhouse had fallen into disuse and was demolished. In 1925, "rest-homes" endowed by the industrialist Courtauld were erected on the site.

Halstead Industrial School
In 1869, an industrial school for girls under 14 years of age was opened at the east side of Bois Field. It opened in 1869 and was certified under the Industrial Schools Act of 1866 for the reception of sixty girls, under the superintendence of Miss Lucy Greenwood. Although not directly connected with the union workhouse, the premises may have been the location the former Halstead parish workhouse. Miss Greenwood also owned a property known as the Chase, at the south side of Bois Field, which was used as an institute for training girls who had served their time in the Industrial School.

Records
Essex Record Office, Wharf Road Chelmsford CM2 6YT. Holdings include: Guardians' minutes (1835-1930); Ledgers (1835-1930); Essex Record Office reference G/H Title [HALSTEAD UNION] Admin History HALSTEAD Poor Law UNION consisted of the parishes of Castle Hedingham, Colne Engaine, Earls Colne, Gosfield, Great Maplestead, Great Yeldham, HALSTEAD, Little Maplestead, Little Yeldham, Pebmarsh, Ridgewell, Sible Hedingham, Stambourne, Tilbury-juxta-Clare, Toppesfield and White Colne.

Websites
http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Halstead/Halstead.shtml Peter Hegginbotham Workhouses site