November 2011
Newark Workhouse Admission and Discharge register, 4 November 1922
Reference: SO/PUN/3/4/3
In 1834 the Poor Law Amendment Act was passed which altered the system of poor relief. Parishes were grouped into Unions across the country, and one of the requirements of a union was to erect a workhouse. The conditions of individual workhouses varied. Some were humane and clean while others operated under strict and harsh regimes. As a result, entering the workhouse was, for most people, a last resort.
In 1919 the Boards of Guardians became part of the Ministry of Health, and with the introduction of old age pensions and unemployment insurance, the need for workhouses declined. The poor law was finally abolished in 1948.
This page from the Newark Workhouse Admission and Discharge register shows a group of men being admitted to the workhouse for one night on 4 November 1922. While some of the typical information is recorded such as name, occupation, age and so on, the parish from which admitted and by whose order are left blank. What is interesting is that for this group of men, it is recorded that they were ‘Unemployed Marching from Newcastle to London’. Unfortunately we have been unable to find out any more information about why this group of men were marching from the North East to London; perhaps it was a precursor to the famous Jarrow March of 1936?
See the register in more detail here [PDF 11077KB] 
Read a transcript of the register here [PDF 93KB]
Nottinghamshire Archives holds records for the eight Nottinghamshire poor law unions, including some workhouse records. Find out more about them on our Poor Law Records page.
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