Union Workhouse - Ormskirk

Lynda · Union Workhouse - Ormskirk

Before I go 'googling' just wondered if anyone has any information on this one?

Seems my g grandmother died here, the death cert seems to imply some form of mental illness. My Mum seems to think this was something often done in those times, seems strange that with young children she would have died here. Was in 1912.

Lynda

Dotty · Errr...

Hi Lynda

Are you sure it was 1912? I have heard that the workhouse was on Wigan Road. I'm sure that some more posts will be added.

Dotty

Jane

I have always understood that a lot of elderly ended up there to die. Maybe the equivalent of geriatric wards.

One of my husbands ancestors died in Ormskirk at the age of 100. According to the piece I found in the paper - she was 'removed' there a few years before

Lovely turn of phrase these old papers have

SeaCopRimmer

I think that the 'workhouse' on Wigan Road became a geriatric hospital and then the Ormskirk Hospital; where's Bez when you need her?

Dotty · Info...

Hi seacop

That's what I'd heard so am glad someone has corobor...corrobb...said the same thing!!

Bez is prolly doing something important...

Dotty

Jane

but 1912 wouldn't it have still being the workhouse? Or did we get a new one?

I used Google and found -

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

It also gave a link to Genuki - but for some reason the site is down

Lynda

Thank you.

I couldnt wait

I found that link too to the workhouse, it was still called that. Yes, I have the death cert and info from Cemetary so I knew it was 1912, the informant of the death was from there too, which was what started me wondering.

So...........................

I phoned up the Lancashire Records as it said you could, and spoke to a lovley chap there, who asked me what the cause of death was as poor Catherine was only 45. The death cert read similar to Cerebal heamorrage (sorry I cant spell either) and epilepsy. The nice chap explained that the poor then could not afford hospital care, so if like Catherine she had some sort of brain tumour that caused siezures, if these had been frequent and severe she would have been considered unsafe to her family and children, the family were left with little choice than to admit her to the workhouse for her remaining time.

Sadly they dont have specific individual records for then, so we can only suppose that was the case.

I will try find the obits see if I can learn more - but seems a likely scenario to me.

How very sad.

Lynda

ray green

From the National archives hospital records:-

Present name

Ormskirk and District General Hospital

Previous name(s)

Ormskirk Workhouse (1730s-); Ormskirk County Hospital and Institution (? - 1948)
Ormskirk County Hospital (1949 - 1963)

You will see that there is no record of the date the Wigan Rd institution changed from a workhouse to a hospital. I'm not sure the inmates would have noticed much difference from the change although based on my experience of hospitals maybe the food was better when it was a workhouse.

Sandyken

When I was in the Southport Borough Police in the 1950's. we often called upon to assist the Social Workers to take people with mental illnesses to Ormskirk Hospital. The Ambulance was run by the Fire Brigade and they would not get involved. We had to provide an escort in case the person became violent. The building is now part of the present hospital site but it was at the old entrance off Wigan Road. This was the nearest mental health facility to Southport that accepted admissions. Greaves Hall at Banks did not accept admissions even though it was nearer

SeaCopRimmer

Sandyken - do you remember a Jim Walker in Southport Police? Think he got to be a Sergeant?

Bez

Lynda

Thank you for extra info. The records office only have minutes taken, I already asked.

On my poor relatives death cert we have now found she was in the Imbecele pavillion

I couldnt read that bit as it was not too clear, my friend sussed it last night.
Also no obit in the paper, couldnt even find an announcement of her death.

Lynda

ray green

Have you noticed that on the 1911 census form three options of mental infirmity are given, Lunatic, Imbecile and Feeble minded so presumably those terms had a more or less precise meaning. All entries in the column are blanked out.

Jane

I thought there were about the same 3 on other census too - but they meant different to what we may think. I shall try and see if I can find anything and put something on the forum

I have added under Census info

Lynda

Thank you, is all of interest to us.

Lynda

sutcliffe

there is also the possibility that in 1901( see census RG 13/3544)part of it was used as a foster home and school. All of the names of the residents are children between 6 and 13(?), many of whom were born in Southport. Some of the family names are common in the forum. It might be worth a look.
Paul
Otherwise(historically)in 1777 Ormskirk workhouse for up to 114 inmates on Moor St at the east side of the junction with what is now St Helen's Road.
Ormskirk Union, after its formation in 1837, took over the old workhouse and erected between 1851 and 1853 a new workhouse at the south side of Wigan Road in Ormskirk. It was designed by William Culshaw who was also the architect of much larger workhouses for the Toxteth Park and West Derby Unions. The design enabled segregation of the different classes of inmates according to gender and physical ability ( the aged and infirm, the able-bodied, 7-13, those under 13 etc.). In 1898 new union offices were erected to the east of the workhouse. The site later became the Ormskirk and District General Hospital. Some original buildings still survive. ( taken from:Workhouses of the North by Peter Higginbotham, Tempus Publishing 2007)
The workhouse system was officially abolished in 1930.[/i]

Dotty · Yoo hoo

Hi Ray...is that you?

Dotty

ray green

You flatter me Dotty, I'm not that smart!

Union Workhouse - Ormskirk

Errr...

Info...

Yoo hoo