Burnley, Lancashire Poor Law Union

History
In Parliamentary reports in 1777 parish workhouses included: Colne (for up to 17 inmates) Barnby with Habergham (50 inmates). Workhouses also operated on Royle Road in Burnley, and on the Blackburn Road at Padiham.

The Burnley Poor Law Union formally came into being on 20th January 1837.

Constituent Parishes include Altham, LancashireAltham,_Lancashire Barrowford, Lancashire Briercliffe, Lancashire Burnley [St Peter], Lancashire Burnley St James, Lancashire Colne, Lancashire Colne Christ Church, Lancashire Goodshaw, Lancashire Great Marsden, Lancashire Habergham All Saints, Lancashire Habergham Eaves, Lancashire Heyhouses, Lancashire Holme St John, Lancashire Little Marsden, Lancashire Padiham, Lancashire Reedley Hallows, Filly Close and New Laund Booth, Lancashire Trawden, Lancashire Worsthorne, Lancashire Barley with Wheatley Booth, Cliviger,, Dunnockshaw, Foulridge, Goldshaw Booth, Hapton, Higham with West Close Booth, Hughouses, Huncoat, Ightenhill Park, Old Laund Booth, Rough Lee, Read, Simonstone, Wheatley Carr,

On formation of the Union two sites Royle Raod Burnley and Padiham provided a capacity of 310 places (1847)

Briercliffe Road Workhouse
Because of the inadequacies of the existing workhouse accommodation, a new workhouse for 500 inmates was erected at a 10-acre site on Briercliffe Road in Burnley. The foundation stone was laid in 1873 and the first inmates admitted in March, 1876. The buildings, which cost about £20,000, were designed by William Waddington of Burnley and the building contractors were Messrs Heap of Burnley. A new infirmary was opened in 1895 to the north of the existing infirmary. It was designed by local architect Samuel Keighley and its construction cost £28,000. From 1904, to protect them from disadvantage in later life, the birth certificates for those born in the workhouse gave its address just as 118 Briercliffe Road, Burnley. After 1930, the running of the workhouse was handed over to the Burnley Corporation Public Assistance Committee and became Primrose Bank Public Assistance Institution. The infirmary was taken over by the separate Public Health Committee and was renamed Primrose Bank Hospital. Following the inauguration of the National Health Service in 1948, the two parts were reunited and became Burnley General Hospital. The hospital buildings were demolished in 2008.

Records
• Lancashire Record Office, Bow Lane, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 2RE. Holdings include Union constitution (1836); Guardians' minutes (1837-1930); Creed register (1906-130); Index to admissions and discharge books (1906-30); Admissions and discharges register (1925-42); Register of inmates' relatives (males 1876-1901, females 1879-1908); Primrose Bank creed registers (1894-1943); Boys' Home admissions/discharges (1925-42); Boys' Home inmates (1925-40); etc. Padiham Poor Law assessments Census of 1811, baptisms and burials, 1803-1811; poor assessments, 1716, 1722-1723, 1739, 1749, 1753-1763, 1776-1777, highway accounts, 1706, 1764. FHL BRITISH Film 93669

Websites
http://www.workhouses.org.uk/index.html?Burnley/Burnley.shtml