Docking, Norfolk Poor Law Union

History
The earliest workhouse provision was that at Dersingham formed from neighbouring cottages Under the Gilbert act in 1783 a workhouse was established at South Creake. Gilbert's Act of 1782 allowed groups of parishes to set up a common workhouse for the old, the sick and the infirm. This provided a much cheaper procedure than was involved in promoting a Local Act.

Docking Poor Law Union was formed on 1st August 1835.

The new workhouse was built in 1835-6 on the Heacham Road to the west of Docking. The Poor Law Commissioners authorised an expenditure of £9,125 on construction of the building which was to accommodate 450. John Brown, the Norfolk county surveyor designed several other Norfolk workhouses at Blofield, Henstead and Yarmouth, as well as ones in Suffolk (Plomesgate, Stow), and Essex (Colchester).

Constituent parishes
Anmer, Norfolk, Bagthorpe, Norfolk, Barmer, Norfolk Bircham Newton, Norfolk Bircham Tofts, Norfolk Brancaster, Norfolk Broomsthorpe, Norfolk Burnham Deepdale, Norfolk Burnham Norton, Norfolk Burnham Overy, Norfolk Burnham Sutton, Norfolk Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk Burnham Ulph, Norfolk Burnham Westgate, Norfolk Choseley, Norfolk Dersingham, Norfolk Docking, Norfolk East Rudham, Norfolk Fring, Norfolk Great Bircham, Norfolk Heacham, Norfolk Holme next the Sea, Norfolk Houghton, Norfolk Hunstanton, Norfolk Ingoldisthorpe, Norfolk North Creake, Norfolk Ringstead, Norfolk Sedgeford, Norfolk Shernborne, Norfolk Snettisham, Norfolk South Creake, Norfolk Stanhoe, Norfolk Syderstone, Norfolk Thornham, Norfolk Titchwell, Norfolk Waterden, Norfolk West Rudham, Norfolk Later Additions: Choseley, New Hunstanton

Records
Norfolk Record Office, The Archive Centre, Martineau Lane, Norwich NR1 2DQ. Holdings include: Guardians' minute books (1836-1922, 1925-30); Ledgers (1836-1930, with gaps); Workhouse admissions and discharges (1902-5, 1907-9, 1916-30); Children's Homes admissions and discharges (1915-37); Births (1837-1930); Deaths (1837-1914)