Todmorden Poor Law Union, West Yorkshire

History
Todmorden has a complex geo-administrative history. It lies along the historic county boundary of Yorkshire and Lancashire. Todmorden is in the Oldham postcode area and the telephone code (01706) is that of Rochdale (both in Greater Manchester). Until the boundary reformation by the Local Government Act 1888, the Lancashire-Yorkshire boundary ran through the centre of Todmorden, following the River Calder to the North-West and the Walsden Water for less than a mile to the South before turning South-Eastwards across Langfield Common. The Town Hall, which was presented to Todmorden by the Fielden family and opened in 1875, straddles the Walsden Water; thus, from 1875 to 1888 it was possible to dance in the Town Hall ballroom, forward and back, across two counties of England Following the Local Government Act 1894, the Todmorden Local Board became an Urban District Council, comprising the wards of Todmorden, Walsden, Langfield and Stansfield. At the same time, Todmorden Rural District Council, comprising the parishes of Blackshaw, Erringden, Heptonstall and Wadsworth, came into being. Two years later, on 2 June 1896, the town was granted a Charter of Incorporation and the area covered by the Urban District Council became a Municipal Borough. The number of wards was increased from four to six: Central, Walsden, Langfield, Stansfield, Stoodley and Cornholme. Todmorden Rural District was later re-named Hepton Rural District. Since the local government reforms of 1974, Todmorden has been administered as part of the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, within the Metropolitan county of West Yorkshire. At the local government level, Todmorden, the town, is almost entirely within Todmorden ward although the eastern portion of the town toward Eastwood shares some of adjoining Calder ward with Hebden Bridge.

Prior to the introduction of the Poor Law Reform Actocal workhouses in operation at Errinden [Erringden] (for up to 20 inmates), Heptonstall (24), Langfield (14), and Stansfield (25). The Todmorden Poor Law Union was officially formed on 15th February 1837. However it was one of the most implacable opponents to the Poor Law Reform Act, and refusal continued for considerable time in refusing to levy poor law rates. A riot took place with the Chairman of the Board of Guardians being attacked. In 1844 the Union was, exceptionally, given leave to abandon the requirement to provide a workhouse. An 1847 local directory records the union as using three small buildings at Gauxholme, Stansfield and Wadsworth as workhouse accommodation. Finally, in 1877, under threat of the union being dissolved, Todmorden became the last union in England to provide a workhouse when it erected one at Lee Bottom near Mankinholes. Ironically, the site on which it was built was on an estate known as Beggarington. The initial capacity of the workhouse was 100 but in 1890 the buildings were expanded to accommodate 250. In 1930, the workhouse became a Public Assistance Institution serving the new Calder "Guardian's Area". At that time, it had accommodation for 293, including 69 in the casual wards (60 male places and 9 female). The buildings were then incorporated into the national Health Service and became Stansfield View Hospital and after 1948 provided care for the mentally handicapped. The vagrants' wards were closed in 1950. The buildings were demolished in 1996 and the site cleared.

Constituent Parishes
Yorkshire West Riding:Erringden, Heptonstall, Yorkshire Langfield, Stansfield, Todmorden, Yorkshire, Wadsworth

Lancashire: Todmorden, Lancashire Walsden, Lancashire Later Additions (all from 1894): Blackshaw, Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire. Mytholmroyd

Records

 * West Yorkshire Archive Service — Calderdale, Central Library, Northgate House, Northgate, Halifax HX1 1UN. Holdings include: 1849-1927: order books, financial records, papers reference TOD 8-26, 213

1880-1911: workhouse committee minute books, admission &amp; discharge book reference Misc 139


 * West Yorkshire Archive Service Wakefield

Registry of Deeds Newstead Road Wakefield WF1 2DE England

Tel: 01924 305980 Fax: 01924 305983 Email: wakefield@wyjs.org.uk Website: http://www.archives.wyjs.org.uk/ 1879-1932: workhouse cttee minutes, reports, papers, infirmary registers, indoor relief lists C453/1, 5

Websites
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~todmordenandwalsden/workhouse.htm Todmorden workhouse http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~todmordenandwalsden/gauxholmepoorhouse_000.htm Gauxholme workhouse http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Todmorden Peter Higginbotham’s site has maps and images of the Union workhouses