Mansfield, Nottinghamshire Poor Law Union

History
Samuel Brunt bequeathed lands, directing the proceeds, which then amounted to £436. 15. a year, to be applied chiefly to the relief of poor inhabitants. In 1725, Faith Clerkson left the sum of £2000 to trustees, partly for erecting two school-houses, and partly to be vested in land, the rental to be divided between Mansfield and Mansfield-Woodhouse; and in 1784, Charles Thompson bequeathed £1200 in the three per cents., one-half for the augmentation of Brunt's charity, and one-half for educating children, for whom a school was built in Toothill-lane. The present income of Brunt's charity, including Thompson's bequest, amounts to £1049. By deed dated January 15th, 1691, Elizabeth Heath founded almshouses for twelve persons, and endowed them with property now producing a rental of £244. 9., of which £70 are appropriated to the apprenticing of children: the trustees have recently built six additional almshouses, of stone, in Bull's Head lane. The poor-law union of Mansfield comprises 18 parishes or places, of which 9 are in each of the counties of Nottingham and Derby, the whole containing a population of 27,627 inhabitants: the workhouse is a large building on the Sutton road, erected in 1837, at a cost of £7000, and containing accommodation for 300 paupers

From: A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 247-251. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51131 Date accessed: 18 April 2011.

The Mansfield Poor Law Union was formed on 29th June 1836. In 1837, the new Mansfield Union workhouse was built on the south side of Stockwell Gate in Mansfield. Intended to accommodate 300 it generally housed fewer people.

See also

http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/poorlawrecords.pdf for surviving records of this union

http://www.nottsheritagegateway.org.uk/themes/poverty/povertygraphic.htm

http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/NTT/Mansfield/mansfield_PLU.html

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?Mansfield/Mansfield.shtml

Parishes in the Union
Ault Hucknall, Derbyshire Blackwell, Derbyshire Blidworth, Nottinghamshire Fulwood, Nottinghamshire Haywood Oaks, Nottinghamshire Lindhurst, Nottinghamshire Mansfield St Peter and St Paul, Nottinghamshire Mansfield Woodhouse, Nottinghamshire Pinxton, Derbyshire Pleasley, Derbyshire Scarcliffe, Derbyshire Shirebrook, Derbyshire Skegby, Nottinghamshire South Normanton, Derbyshire Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire Teversal, Nottinghamshire Tibshelf, Derbyshire Upper Langwith, Derbyshire Warsop with Sookholme, Nottinghamshire