Fylde Poor Law Union, Lancashire

History
Prior to the formation in 1837 2 town workhouses existed : Kirkham Poulton le Fylde. The Fylde Poor Law Union was formed on 27th January 1837.

Constituent parishes included: Bispham,_Lancashire, Bryning with Kellamergh, Blackpool St John, Lancashire Carleton, Clifton with Salwick, Elswick, Freckleton, Greenhalgh with Thistleton, Hardhorn with Newton, Kirkham, Lancashire, Layton with Warbreck, Little Eccleston with Larbreck, Lund, Lancashire, Lytham, Lancashire, Lytham St John, Lancashire, Marton, Lancashire, Medlar with Wesham, Mythrop, Newton with Scales, Poulton le Fylde, Lancashire, Ribby cum Wrea, Lancashire, Singleton, Lancashire, Thornton, Treales Roseacre and Wharles, Warton (near Kirkham), Lancashire, Weeton and Preese Weeton, Lancashire, Westby with Plumpton, Whitechapel, Lancashire St Michael on Wyre, Lancashire. Later Additions (from 1894): Blackpool, Fleetwood, St Anne's on the Sea South Shore Holy Trinity, Lancashire.

The Kirkham Workhouse
Initially, the new Fylde Union took over the Kirkham parish workhouse, despite the pleas of Poulton-le-Fylde, the only other settlement in the Fylde to have a workhouse. In 1843-4, a new workhouse was erected at the north side of Moor Lane in Kirkham. It was enlarged in around 1864 to house 250 paupers. The Kirkham Cottage Homes After the opening of a new workhouse at Medlar-with-Wesham in 1907, the old Kirkham workhouse buildings were used for a few years as a children's home and then demolished in around 1912. On 23rd July 1913, the foundation stone was laid for a new group of children's cottage homes on the site. These consisted of three houses on Moor Street together with a superintendent's house on Station Road. These were later used as a medical centre and Social Services department.

The Medlar-with-Wesham Workhouse
A new workhouse was erected in 1903-7 at Medlar-with-Wesham. It was designed by Charles S Haywood and Fred Harrison. From 1904, to protect them from disadvantage in later life, the birth certificates for those born in the workhouse gave its address just as 1 Derby Road, Wesham. The site later became Wesham Park Hospital but this has now closed. In 2001, the main workhouse blocks were still used as NHS Trust office accommodation. The first union workhouse on Back Lane was demolished in the 1950s or 1960s.

Records
• Lancashire Record Office, Bow Lane, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 2RE. Few local records survive — holdings include: Guardians' minutes (1845-1930).

Websites
http://www.workhouses.org.uk/index.html?Fylde/Fylde.shtml