Lancashire Poor Law Unions

An Act of Parliament in the year 1834 took the responsibility of administering to the poor from the local parish church to the doorstep of civil government. The government grouped each civil parish into a union of parishes. There were nearly 600 such unions throughout England, each one comprising close to 20 or more parishes, and were specifically setup to meet the demands of the poor among their local populations, with a workhouse on the premises. The responsbility was transferred from local parishes to a Board of Guardians in each union. These groupings or unions were known as poor-law unions. Lancashire had the following poorlaw unions within its boundaries:


 * Ashton under Lyne, Lancashire, Poor Law Union
 * Barton upon Irwell Lancashire Poor Law Union
 * Blackburn Poor Law Union, Lancashire
 * Bolton, Lancashire Poor Law Union
 * Burnley Poor Law Union,Lancashire
 * Bury Poor Law Union, Lancashire
 * Caton Gilbert Union,Lancashire
 * Chorley Poor Law Union, Lancashire
 * Chorlton Poor Law Union,Lancashire
 * Clitheroe Poor Law Union, Lancashire
 * West Derby, Lancashire Poor Law Union
 * Fylde Poor Law Union, Lancashire
 * Garstang Poor Law Union, Lancashire
 * Haslingden, Lancashire Poor Law Union
 * Lancaster Poor Law Union,Lancashire
 * Leigh, Lancashire Poor Law Union
 * Liverpool, Lancashire Poor Law Union
 * Lunesdale Poor Law Union,Lancashire
 * Manchester Poor Law Union
 * Oldham Poor Law Union
 * Ormskirk Poor Law Union, Lancashire
 * Prescot Poor Law Union, Lancashire
 * Preston Poor Law Union, Lancashire
 * Prestwich Poor Law Union
 * Rochdale Poor Law Union
 * Salford, Lancashire Poor Law Union
 * Toxteth Park, Lancashire Poor Law Union
 * Ulverston Poor Law Union,Lancashire
 * Warrington Poor Law Union, Lancashire
 * Todmorden Poor Law Union, West Yorkshire
 * Wigan Poor Law Union

Online Records

 * 1867-1917 Lancashire, Oldham Workhouse at FindMyPast — index & images, ($)

Records from the poor law unions, which were created from this time forward include the following:


 * 1) Guardianship
 * 2) Creed Registers
 * 3) Rate books
 * 4) Workhouse Lists of Inmates
 * 5) Register of Apprentices
 * 6) Register of Births
 * 7) Register of Deaths
 * 8) Vestry Rate Books
 * 9) Admission and Discharge Registers
 * 10) Board of Guardians' Records

To determine records availability for each poorlaw, search the FamilySearch Catalog under the name of the county (Lancashire), and then under the name of the poorlaw union, i.e. Rochdale, then under the term[s] "poorlaw" or "poorhouses".