Birkenhead Poor Law Union, Cheshire Genealogy

History
Birkenhead and its neighbouring parishes at the north of the Wirral peninsula originally formed part of the Wirral Poor Law Union. However, on 2th March, 1861, the new Birkenhead Poor Law Union was formed to cover this area and comprised the parishes of Bidstone-with-Ford, Birkenhead, Claughton-cum-Grange , Liscard , Noctorum , Oxton, Poulton-cum-Seacomb see Seacombe St Paul,Poulton-cum-Seacombe,Cheshire, Tranmere, Cheshire and Wallasey, Cheshire.

Church Road Workhouse
A new Birkenhead Union workhouse was built in 1861-3 at the west side of Church Road in Birkenhead. The architect was Thomas Layland of Liverpool. It could accommodate about 500 inmates and opened its doors on 4th January, 1864.

The original workhouse hospital was built at the south-west of the site in 1866. New pavilion blocks were added at the south-east in the 1890s. The original hospital was replaced by two new pavilions and an administration block in 1911-12. From 1904, to protect them from disadvantage in later life, the birth certificates for those born in the workhouse gave its address just as 56 Church Road, Tranmere. The workhouse later became Birkenhead Municipal Hospital then, in recent times, was known as St Catherine's Community Hospital. The main building was demolished in 2010.

Records
• Wirral Archives, Wirral Museum, Town Hall, Hamilton Street, Birkenhead, Wirral CH41 5BR. Holdings include: Guardians' minute books (1861-1930); Births (1864-1914); Baptisms (1890-1950); Deaths (1864-1944); Creed registers (1869-1930); Register of inmates' property (1897-1956)