Darlington Poor Law Union
Reference: U/Da Catalogue Title: Darlington Poor Law Union Area: Catalogue Category: Local Authority Records Description:
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- Darlington Poor Law Union
Catalogue Description
Records of Darlington Poor Law Union12 May 1969 Acc: Da 20
12 May 1969 Acc: Da 62
1 December 1969 Acc: Da 19
December 1970 - 1972 Acc: Da 26
December 1970 - 1972 Acc: Da 31
December 1970 - 1972 Acc: Da 38
18 June 1974 Acc: Da 53
1974 Acc: Da 64
1974 Acc: Da 582
County Record Office,
County Hall,
DURHAM.
DH1 5UL
The Darlington Union came into existence in 1804, under Gilbert's Act of 1782, and was a "Gilbert Union" formed principally to erect a workhouse. Darlington later also adopted the Poor Relief Act (Sturges Bourne Act), 1819, which allowed open vestries to appoint a poor law committee to administer poor relief. In 1837 a new Poor Law Union was created under the provisions of the Poor Law Amendment Act, 1834. This act enlarged the union and it took it out of the power of the vestry and put it under the control of central government in the form of three Poor Law Commissioners.
Unions continued to function until 1930 when the last of their powers were absorbed by local authorities, in this case the County Borough of Darlington Public Assistance Committee.
The records in the following list relate to the Poor Law Union created in 1837. Records of the Gilbert Union and the Poor Law Committee may be found amongst the parish records of Darlington, St. Cuthbert.
Valuation Lists
Catalogue Contents
Overseerers of the Poor
Blackwell Parish
The first union workhouse (built in 1804) was situated in Lead Yard, but in 1871 a new building, to which these records relate, was erected in Yarm Road at a cost of £15,000. This was run by the Board of Guardians until 1930 and by the Public Assistance Committee of Darlington County Borough until 1948. The building was then renamed Easthaven Hostel and was used as a reception centre for the homeless and a geriatric unit until it closed in 1974. During the First World War the hospital was used as a military hospital, the first poor law institution in England to be used as such.
Ref: U/Da 850