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Catalogue description RECORDS OF THE GUARDIANS OF THE POOR OF THE MANCHESTER, CHORLTON AND PRESTWICH UNIONS
This record is held by Manchester Archives and Local Studies
| Reference: | M4 |
|---|---|
| Title: | RECORDS OF THE GUARDIANS OF THE POOR OF THE MANCHESTER, CHORLTON AND PRESTWICH UNIONS |
| Related material: |
Other records of the Guardians of the Poor in the Reference Library. Manchester Union. Manchester Union statement of account. 1849, single sheet, P.1126/12. Township of Manchester. Guardians' year book, 1891/2-1914/15) Manchester Union year book, 1915/16-1929/30.) 352.9 M15. Annual report of the Guardians, 1915/16-1919/20. 352.9 M16. Manchester Corporation. Public Assistance Committee. Regulations for the administration of outdoor relief. 1938, 1943, 1947. 339 M56, 57 and 58. Township of M/cr. Union. Abstracts of accounts 1867-1930. Prestwich Union. Abstracts of accounts, 1868-1915, 352.9 M22. Prestwich Union year book, 1889-1914/15 (incomplete). 352.9 M21. Chorlton Union. Abstracts of accounts, 1856-1915. 352.9 M23. Manual, 1886/7-1913/14 (incomplete). 352.9 M17. The Manchester directories are an additional source of information, listing the officials of the institutions for the poor for periods not covered by the above-noted manuals and year books of the Unions. |
| Held by: | Manchester Archives and Local Studies, not available at The National Archives |
| Language: | English |
| Immediate source of acquisition: |
acquired from the Town Clerk at the time of the winding up of the Social Welfare Committee (in 1948) |
| Custodial history: |
The Social Welfare Committee successors to the Manchester Public Assistance Committee (in 1940), who in turn succeeded to the old Guardians of the Poor of the Manchester Union in 1930. These were then the only surviving records, save for personal case papers, at the Guardian Offices at the corner of Cavendish Street and Lower Ormond Street, Grosvenor Square. It was decided that the case papers were too personal to be preserved. The accounts numbered M4/5/79-148, M4/54/51-79, M4/57/1, M4/74/5-20, M4/90/ and M4/94 were transferred from the Rates Department Bookroom, Manchester Town Hall. |
| Subjects: |
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| Administrative / biographical background: |
A brief account of the development of the Poor Law Unions in the Manchester area. Manchester Union. The original Manchester Union was formed in 1841, consisting of the Townships of Manchester, Blackley, Bradford, Cheetham, Crumpsall, Failsworth, Harpurhey, Moston, Newton, Prestwich, Great Heaton and Little Heaton. Manchester Township was constituted as a separate Poor Law authority on 10 April, 1850, the remaining Townships being formed as the Prestwich Union. Prestwich Union. Constituted by an Order of the Poor Law Board, 13 April 1850. To the Townships transferred from the Manchester Union the Township of Beswick was added in 1858 and Clayton in 1894. Great Heaton and Little Heaton were detached in 1891. In 1896 all the Townships except Prestwich and Failsworth were consolidated to form the Township of North Manchester, which remained a part of the Prestwich Union. Chorlton Union. This earliest of the three Unions was formed by an Order of the Poor Law Commissioners dated 14 January 1837, comprising the Townships of Chorlton-on-Medlock, Ardwick, Hulme, Stretford, Moss Side, Levenshulme, Rusholme, Didsbury, Withington, Gorton, (divided in 1894 into Gorton and West Gorton) and Burnage. Chorlton-cum-Hardy and Openshaw were added during 1837. Barton-upon-Irwell, Flixton and Urmston were added in 1841, but detached in 1849. Stetford was detached in 1849. In 1896 the Townships of Chorlton-on-Medlock, Ardwick, Hulme, Rusholme, Openshaw and West Gorton were consolidated as the Township of South Manchester. In 1910 the remaining Townships in the Union were added and the whole consolidated into the Township of South Manchester for Poor Law purposes. By an order of the Ministry of Health in 1915 the Township of Manchester, the Township of South Manchester and the Prestwich Union were joined to constitute the Manchester Union. The Manchester Board of Guardians was dissolved on 31 March 1930, by the Local Government Act, 1929 and its functions transferred to the Public Assistance Committee, later the Social Welfare Committee, of the Manchester City Council. The local administration of poor relief ceased in 1948, when the last remnants of the Poor Law system were abolished by Statute and the responsibility for the relief of destitution transferred to the National Assistance Board. A number of important institutions owe their beginning to the work of caring for the poor. Booth Hall Infirmary and Crumpsall and Withington Hospitals began as institutions for the sick poor. At the time of its dissolution the Board of Guardians also maintained the epileptic colony at Langho, homes for children, a school for mentally defective children, a convalescent home and a fleet of ambulances. See M4/20/11. An account of the work of the Charlton Guardians and their predecessors is provided in their brochure "Care of the poor of Manchester," 1930 (Q 352.9 M20). |
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