Prescot, Lancashire Poor Law Union

History
The first workhouse at Prescot dates from 1707 and was founded by Oliver Lyme in rented almshouses on the Prescot to Rainhill Road. Halewood had a workhouse from 1723, while others were opened at Huyton, Sutton, and Moss Bank in 1732, at Bold in 1734, and at Speke in 1742 The 1777 parliamentary report of 1777 refers to the following workhouses in the district Prescott (up to 80 ), Allerton(50), Ditton (50), Eccleston (50), Hale (50), Halewood (40), Rainford (15), Speak [Speke] (50), Sutton (30), and Widnes (50).

Prescot Union (Whiston)
Prescot Poor Law Union was formed on 31st January, 1837. Initially, the new Prescot Union adopted the existing building at Windle for its main workhouse, with the elderly being placed at the Sutton, and children at Much Woolton The Workhouse built in 1843 by Robert Morris and designed by William Culshaw of Liverpool on land purchased at the corner of the Turnpike Road and Dragon Lane, Whiston. This was to replace all the older and smaller Workhouses of Prescot, Windle, Widnes, Speke and Much Woolton. The following constituent parishes were included Lancashire: Bold, Copp, Lancashire,Cronton , Ditton , Eccleston (near Prescot) Lancashire Eccleston St Thomas, Lancashire , Farnworth, Lancashire , Hale, Lancashire Halewood, Lancashire, Huyton, Lancashire, Knowsley, Lancashire, Parr, Lancashire, Prescot, Lancashire, Rainford, Lancashire , Rainhill, Lancashire, Roby , Speke,  Sutton Lancashire, Tarbock, Whiston, Widnes with Appleton, Windle ,  Little Woolton,Lancashire, Much Woolton, Lancashire. Later Addition: St Helens, Lancashire (from 1894).

The infirmary of the workhouse developed to care for the mentally ill as well as for care of the sick and elderly.

From 1904, to protect them from disadvantage in later life, the birth certificates for those born in the workhouse gave its address just as 1 Warrington Road, Whiston. Prescot workhouse later became Whiston Hospital. The main workhouse buildings have now been demolished.

Records

 * Lancashire Record Office, Bow Lane, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 2RE. Very limited holdings include Guardians' minutes (1837-1930).There are no surviving admission and discharge or creed registers however the St Helen's Local History and Archives Library has holdings of some Whiston Hospital and early infirmary records from 1870-1909:

Originally opened 1843 by the Board of Guardians of the Poor of Prescot. Housed the mentally ill but also developed as a Poor Law Infirmary. Lancashire County Council took it over in April 1930 and it became known as the County Hospital, Whiston: split administratively into the east side containing Maternity and Acute Wards and the west (original Workhouse Infirmary) housing mental and geriatric patients and welfare inmates. Out-patients, Casualty, X-Ray, Pathology and an Operating Theatre were added in 1937. During World War Two provision was made for military and civilian casualties and prisoners of war. After 1948 Lancashire County Council retained a section of the old institution, as Delphside, under the terms of the Welfare and National Assistance Act. In 1953 the mental wards were renamed Whiston Mental Hospital, but the general and mental hospitals were merged in 1959. Since then innumerable extensions and additional facilities have been added.

St Helens Local History and Archives Library

Record type      Date range

Administrative  1870 - 1943

Admission &amp; Discharge 1870 - 1909

Other                 1877 - 1943

Web Sites
http://www.workhouses.org.uk/ Prescot Lancashire for Peter Heginbotham's excellent site with maps and images of the workhouse site and buildings.