Macclesfield Poor Law Union, Cheshire Genealogy

History
A parliamentary report of 1777 recorded local workhouses in operation at Adlington (for up to 42 ) Bollington (18) Chorley (80) Eaton (12) Gawsworth (28) Pott Shrigley (20) Macclesfield (160) Rode (6) Sutton (20) Rainow (30).

Soon after the union's formation 3 September 1836, the Macclesfield Guardians decided to erect a new union workhouse. An architect was appointed, and plans approved for a design based on the Poor Law Commissioners' model but the opposition of local workers who had suffered the decline in the town’s industries(silk weaving ) subjected the builder to threats and intimidation and the project failed.

The Union continue to use the workhouse sites at Waters-green for able-bodied paupers, Sutton for children, and Rainow for old men and women.

In December 1842, the old workhouse had become so overcrowded that scenes of violence were not uncommon. The official capacity was 220 inmates, but often reached a hundred more than that. On 10th January, 1843, the Board of Guardians passed a resolution to build a new Workhouse at a cost of £5,000. A site had already been found on Prestbury Road for which the freehold was purchased

In 1853-4 a 60 bed fever hospital was built at a cost of around £1,200, and a new 70-bed hospital block to the south of the workhouse in 1879-81 costing about £6,000.

The workhouse later became Macclesfield Poor Law Institution, then between 1929 and 1947 as West Park Hospital. During World War 2, the hospital was used for the treatment of military casualties as part of the Emergency Medical Service scheme. After the inauguration of the National health Service in 1948, it became the West Park branch of Macclesfield Hospital.

Constituent Parishes
Macclesfield Poor Law Union was formed 3 September 1836 and included the following parishes &amp; townships: Adlington, Alderley, Cheshire, Nether, Alderley Over,  Birtles,St Catherine, Bollington,  Bosley, Cheshire, Butley, Capesthorne with Siddiddington  Capesthorne, Holy Trinity, Cheshire,  Chelford, Cheshire, Chorley, Eaton, Fallybroome,  Gawsworth, Cheshire,   Henbury St Thomas, Henbury cum Pexall, Cheshire, Hurdsfield Holy Trinity, Cheshire,Kettleshulme, Lyme Handley, Macclesfield Macclesfield, St Michael's, Macclesfield, Christ Church, Cheshire, Macclesfield, St Paul, Cheshire Macclesfield, St Peter, Macclesfield Forest St Stephen,Cheshire, Marton, Mottram St Andrew, Henbury with Pexall, Newton,  North Rode, Cheshire, Pott Shrigley Pott Shrigley, Cheshire,  Poynton, Cheshire,  Prestbury, Cheshire,  Rainow, Cheshire, Siddington, Snelson, Sutton, Taxall see Taxal, Cheshire, Titherington, Upton Upton, Holy Ascension , near Chester, Cheshire, Warford Great, Whaley cum Yeardsley , Wildboarclough St Saviour, Cheshire ,  Wincle, Cheshire,  Lower Withington, St Peter,Cheshire, Withington Old, Woodford Woodford, Christ Church, Cheshire, &amp; Worth. Later additions: Alderley Edge (1894-1930), Kerridge  (1894-1900)

Records
Registers of admissions, births, baptisms, and deaths at the Macclesfield Union workhouse, 1848-1949 Microfilm of original filmed at the Cheshire Record Office in Chester, England Cheshire Record Office call no.: LGM 1/1-26, LGM 7, LGM 8/1, LGM 9/1-6. England, Cheshire workhouse records are available online in FamilySearch Historical Records (formerly Record Search) Admissions and discharges, 1863-Sep. 1867. FHL BRITISH Film 2299165 Items 13 - 14 Admissions and discharges, Sep. 1867-1876. VAULT BRITISH Film 2299166 Admissions and discharges, 1875-1885 (all left-handed pages appear first, then all right-handed pages). VAULT BRITISH Film 2299205 Admissions and discharges, 1885-1895 (all left-handed pages appear first, then all right-handed pages). VAULT BRITISH Film 2299206 Admissions and discharges, 1895-1900 (all left-handed pages appear first, then all right-handed pages). Births, 1848-1865. Baptisms, 1900-1930.deaths, 1848-1949. FHL BRITISH Film 2299207

Cheshire Record Office Duke Street, Chester, CH1 1RL Tel: 01244 602574 http://www.cheshire.gov.uk/recoff/home.htm

Military patients admissions and discharges (1914-25); Births (1848-65); Baptisms (1898-1930); Deaths (1848-1949); Creed register (1885-90; 1902-23); Punishment book (1849-1912)

Websites
http://www.workhouses.org.uk/index.html?Macclesfield/Macclesfield.shtml Peter Higginbotham's useful website has maps and images of the Union workhouse buildings and history.