From Tudor times the responsibility of looking after the poor and ill had lain with the parish. In 1834 a new system was created under the Poor Law Amendment Act.
The Act established a country-wide network of poor law unions, each of which was run by a board of guardians elected from parishes, and administered by a body of paid officials. Each union had a workhouse, which served as an institutional home for the poor. The workhouses often operated under strict and harsh regimes, and were a last resort.
Nottinghamshire Archives holds records for the eight Nottinghamshire poor law unions:
- Basford
- Bingham
- East Retford
- Mansfield
- Newark
- Nottingham
- Southwell
- Worksop
The quantity and variety of surviving records varies between each union.
Main groups of documents
Guardians' minute books
Workhouse plans
Admissions and discharge registers
Indoor relief lists
Outdoor relief lists
Creed registers
Registers of casual vagrants
District medical relief books
How to find the document you want
Main groups of documents include:
Guardians' minute books
Coverage: 1834 - 1930
The main administrative records of poor law unions, recording the minutes of meetings of guardians. They include records of principal decisions, appointments, expenditure, financial contributions from parishes, new buildings, maintenance, problems of workhouse inmates and the administration of sick wards and infirmaries.
Some also include sub-committee minutes, such as finance, visiting, dispensary, boarding-out and vaccination.
Workhouse plans
Coverage: 1834 - 1930
Plans of workhouses, sick wards and infirmaries.
The quantity varies between each union: there is a particularly good set for Mansfield, c. 1920 (MP/XBP 42-46L). These documents are found amongst the clerk's records.
Admission and discharge registers
Coverage: 1854 - 1920
Registers recording individuals' admission to and discharge from the workhouse, often giving name, occupation, religion, year of birth, parish from which admitted, the cause of seeking relief, and sometimes class of diet for each person.
Registers are very useful for family historians. However, the quantity varies and there are only surviving registers for Basford and Nottingham unions.
Indoor relief lists
Coverage: 1858 - 1910
Lists recording financial aid given to inmates, recording name, occupation, religion and year of birth. They can be used for determining dates of admission and discharge.
Indoor relief lists survive only for the Nottingham union and there are gaps in the series, so not every year is covered. There are indexes to these lists.
Outdoor relief lists
Coverage: 1898 - 1930
Lists compiled by a relieving officer, detailing how much money was paid to poor people who were not admitted to the workhouse. Also records their name and parish, and their pauper classification.
Outdoor relief lists survive only for Basford, Mansfield and Southwell unions, and there are gaps in the series, so not every year is covered.
Creed registers
Coverage: 1881 - 1942
Registers detailing the religion of inmates in the workhouse. Records name, dates of admission and discharge and religion; for later registers, they also record occupation, year of birth, last address of the inmate and name and address of the nearest relative.
Creed registers survive only for Mansfield and Nottingham unions and there are gaps in the series, so not every year is covered.
Registers of casual vagrants
Coverage: 1892 - 1939
Registers of vagrants who spent time at the workhouse. Records similar details to the admission and discharge registers, but without religion; also records where the vagrant slept on the night prior to admission and where he or she was going next; also the tasks set while in the workhouse.
The survival of these registers is low and are not available for all unions.
District medical relief books
Coverage: 1857 - 1928
Books compiled by the union's medical officer recording treatments administered to the ill, both in and out of the workhouse. They note the patient's name, parish, nature of accident, injury or illness, and treatment.
Medical relief books survive only for Basford Union and for the Nottingham workhouse in 1899.
How to find the document you want
Records are grouped together according to the poor law union to which they relate.
There is a catalogue for poor law records available in the archives search room.
Nottingham Workhouse admissions and discharge registers for the period 1856 - 1920 are available on microfiche.
Download our leaflet Poor Law Union Records [PDF 174KB] 
