Workhouses of Wales and the Welsh Borders
by Peter Higginbotham
A survey in 1776 recorded almost 2,000 parish workhouses operating in England, while the number in Wales was just 19. The New Poor Law of 1834 proved just as unattractive in much of Wales – some parts of the country resisted providing a workhouse until the 1870s, with Rhayader in Radnorshire being the last area in the whole of England and Wales to do so.
These facts make this, Peter Higginbotham’s latest book, an important study for anyone with Welsh ancestors who fell on hard times. Where were the workhouses in Wales? What sort of buildings were created or re-used? And what would life have been like for inmates?
Peter is a well-respected historian of workhouses and this book covers not only Wales, but also the
