Houghton le Spring, Durham Poor Law Union

History
An hospital originally founded by Bernard Gilpin, for six aged people, was rebuilt and endowed by George Lilburne, Esq., and the Rev. George Davenport, formerly rector of the parish; the buildings are situated near the grammar school, and consist of a centre and two wings, each containing two tenements. The union workhouse is a substantial stone building: the union comprises 15 townships in the parish, and the township of Silksworth in the adjoining parish of Bishop-Wearmouth, and contains a population of 16,067.

From: 'Houghton, Glass - Hove', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 562-566. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51049 Date accessed: 24 March 2011.

See also http://www.wearsideonline.com/houghton_le_spring.html http://www.institutions.org.uk/workhouses/england/dur/county_durham_workhouses.htm

For more information on the history of the workhouse, see Peter Higginbotham's web site: www.workhouses.org.uk and

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

Parishes in the Union
Hetton le Hole, Durham Houghton le Spring, Durham Penshaw, Durham Rainton, Durham