The Union Workhouse, William Street, Houghton-le-Spring

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A Welcome Death at Houghton-le-Spring Workhouse

A workhouse of sorts existed in Houghton-le-Spring in 1777, with a larger institution being erected in 1824 with a capacity of 200 inmates. This workhouse was located on the east side of the now demolished Sunderland Street and was still in use when the Poor Law Union was established in 1837. The building soon became dilapidated and was replaced with a purpose-made building on William Street in 1864.

The Workhouse building, which will be remembered by many older readers as Heath House hostel, was described in 1894 as having a T shaped main block with male accommodation to the west and female to the east. Rooms for the aged were placed at the front of the building, and for children and able-bodied at the rear. The Master's quarters were at the far western end of the building adjacent to the workhouse's main entrance which was located at the rear. The kitchen and dining hall were in the rear wing of the main block. A new boardroom and offices were erected in 1891, with the old boardroom being converted into lunatic wards including a padded room.
Copyright © Books of the North 2003 - 2012.

1777 – A workhouse of sorts existed in Houghton-le-Spring. In circa June 1775, the Master was a George Watson.

1824 – A larger workhouse building was erected with a capacity for 203 people. This was located on the east side of Sunderland Street (now demolished) and was still in use when the Poor Law Union was established in 1837.

1838 - Houghton-le-Spring Board of Guardians: "the Working Class in this Mining District being so inter-married and related
to each other, those who may need parochial relief can be and have been kept considerably cheaper and better by giving
them Weekly relief and allowing them to remain with their friends, than could possibly be done by keeping them in the Workhouse."
[From The Working Class in Britain, 1850-1839, by John Benson, 1988]

1849 – At Houghton-le-Spring Union there were no children above two years of age, though it was noted that the number of outdoor pauper children was considerable.
[From General Report by HMI of Schools on the Schools of Parochial Unions inspected in the Northern Districts of England for the year 1849, Mr T. B. Browne, January 1850]

1861 - Number of paupers charged to the Common Fund at Houghton-le-Spring Workhouse = 344

1862 - Number of paupers charged to the Common Fund at Houghton-le-Spring Workhouse = 328

1863 - Number of paupers charged to the Common Fund at Houghton-le-Spring Workhouse = 483

1863 - Henry Fairbairns, Governor of the Poor Law Union in 1855, died and was buried at Houghton Hillside Cemetery on June 6th 1863, aged 67 years.

1864 - Number of paupers charged to the Common Fund at Houghton-le-Spring Workhouse = 546

1864 – The dilapidated workhouse on Sunderland Street was replaced with a purpose made building on William Street. (Could have been 1877) at a cost of Ł11,000, providing accommodation for 200 persons.

1864 – In a letter by the Poor Law Inspector, Mr N. Edward Hurst, dated February 1st 1864, he described the late Master of Houghton-le-Spring Workhouse as: “...for several years before his death, was incompetent, and if dismissed would have been a pauper.” [This would have been Henry Fairbairns – see 1863]

1879 – Plans for the extension of Houghton-le-Spring Workhouse and the Weslyan School on William Street caused concern as the new wards for infectious diseases would have been alongside the school.

1891 – Workhouse staff were Edward Forster, Master; Margaret Ann Forster, Matron; William Hardie, Pastor; Mary Hardie, Mistress; Isabella Purdy, Nurse (buried at Hillside Cemetery on Nov 9th 1892, age 54); and Elizabeth Ann Barrass, Nurse. A new boardroom and offices were erected, and the old boardroom was converted into ‘short period’ lunatic wards with a padded cell and attendants room. The census of this year shows that Houghton Workhouse was only half full!

1891 – Workhouse staff were Edward Forster, Master; Margaret Ann Forster, Matron; William Hardie, Pastor; Mary Hardie, Mistress; Isabella Purdy, Nurse (buried at Hillside Cemetery on Nov 9th 1892, age 54); and Elizabeth Ann Barrass, Nurse. A new boardroom and offices were erected, and the old boardroom was converted into lunatic wards and a padded room. The census of this year shows that Houghton Workhouse was only half full!
Copyright © Books of the North 2003 - 2012.

1901 – Population of Houghton was recorded as 40,847 with an area of 16,360 acres. Samuel Finch, the oldest inmate, died aged 95 years and was buried at Houghton Hillside Cemetery on August 16th 1901.

1903 – Edward Forster, Workhouse Master, died on November 24th 1903 and was buried at Houghton Hillside Cemetery.

1909 – Rateable value of Houghton was recorded as Ł15,912 for land, and Ł164,347 for buildings.

1910 – Workhouse staff were Robert Harrison, Master; Mrs Annie J Harrison, Matron; and David Scott Park, Medical Officer. The Harrisons were still present in 1914, according to a trade directory.
Copyright © Books of the North 2003 - 2012.

1920 – The OS Map of 1920 shows a large building in the grounds of the workhouse, next to the north wall of the Lake. This was the Cottage Homes, a residential home for children in the care of the State, including those orphaned during the War. See memories from 1943 – 1951 by clicking HERE.

1935 – The death certificate for William Mitchell, who died aged 72 years on July 21st 1935, lists his place of death as ‘Heath House, Houghton-le-Spring’. It is not yet known when the building first took this name.

1944 – An entry in the burial notice for James Kirtley Wardell, aged 79 years, lists his abode as Heath House.

1968 – The Heath House sub-committee minutes are last dated to 1968. It would appear that the last residents of Heath House were transferred to Kentmere House, near Grasswell. Memories from residents suggest that Heath House was used as a refuge for women and children.

1973 – A photograph from 1973, showing the crowds watching Sunderland AFC and the FA cup winners’ bus passing through Houghton on the A690 road, reveals that the Heath House and former Workhouse buildings were still standing.

Present – Heath Grange stands on the site of the former Workhouse buildings.

A Welcome Death at Houghton-le-Spring Workhouse

Around 10% of burials at Hillside Cemetery were for inmates or patients from the Workhouse, Poor Law Union, and lunatic or isolation hospital, and as is usual, most if not all of these burials were in unmarked graves. The following examples from the burial records reflect the sadness of the hundreds of people who passed through the workhouse doors: Copyright © Books of the North 2002 - 2010.

A man unknown, about 70 years, buried October 30th 1894.

Samuel Finch, buried at Hillside Cemetery on August 16th 1901, aged 95 years.

Isabella Hart, buried at Hillside Cemetery on April 19th 1859, aged 96 years.

Eliza Bates, buried on July 4th 1899, aged one minute.

Interestingly, it was not only inmates that were buried at Hillside, showing we’re all equal in death: :

Edward FORSTER, late master at the Union Workhouse, was buried in 1903.

Henry Fairbairns, Governor of the Poor Law Union in 1855, buried on June 6th 1863, aged 67 years.

John Robinson Legge, solicitor and clerk at the Poor Law Union in 1855, buried on February 27th 1885, aged 75 years.

The grave of Edward Forster, late master of Houghton Workhouse

The registers show us that William Hay, aged 80, from Sedgefield Lunatic Asylum, was buried at Hillside on July 9th 1907. Other inmates from this Asylum included:

Thomas Robinson, buried January 12th 1895.

John Stockley, buried June 28th 1896.

William Tate, buried January 14th 1903.

This institution was the County Asylum for Durham, and it is unusual that these inmates should be buried at Houghton, as the Asylum had its own cemetery, some two acres in size.

The local hospitals also contributed a flow of bodies into the paupers’ graves at Hillside:

Ralph Bell, Isolation Hospital, buried September 19th 1908, aged 27 years.

Thomas Armstrong, Houghton Fever Hospital, buried October 23rd 1900, aged 23 years.

Catherine Place, Sunderland Children’s Hospital, buried December 17th 1913, aged 11 years.

Elizabeth Atkinson, Urban Isolation Hospital, buried August 15th 1904, aged 16 years.

Many of the people in these institutions had a difficult life with an uncertain future. We can only imagine the terrible conditions within these buildings; for some, death and the escape from the harsh realities of life were a welcome fate. Copyright © Books of the North 2002 - 2010.

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Around 10% of Houghton Hillside Cemetery burial register entries were for inmates/residents of Houghton-le-Spring's Workhouse. Here is a selection:

Forename	Surname	Abode	Age	Date Buried	Ceremony By
A man unknown	.	Union, Houghton-le-Spring	About 70 yrs	Oct 30 1894	A Curate
Robert	Armstrong	Union Workhouse, Houghton-le-Spring	82 yrs	May 27 1903	JK Hawke
Thomas	Fenwick	Union Workhouse, Houghton-le-Spring	43 yrs	Nov 29 1894	Griffith, Curate
Martha	Harding	Union, Houghton-le-Spring	39 yrs	Sept 20 1894	A Curate
William	Hedley	Union Workhouse, Houghton-le-Spring	36 yrs	July 3 1903	GW Thompson
Thomas	Nicholson	The Union, Houghton-le-Spring	90 yrs	Sept 13 1888	H Becher, Curate

Forename	Surname	Date of Death	Inscription
Edward	Forster	Nov 24 1903	In loving memory of EDWARD FORSTER (late master at the Union Workhouse, Houghton le Spring) the beloved husband of MARGARET FORSTER who died Nov 24th 1903.

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[ RELATED PAGE: Houghton Heritage > Articles > Hillside Cemetery ]

The Gilpin Crest as found on a road sign in Houghton

www.houghtonlespring.org.uk

PAGE UPDATED: 27/08/2012

The small housing estate that is known as Heath Grange, Houghton-le-Spring, DH5, is now on the site of the old Houghton-le-Spring Workhouse.