Audlem Workhouse

Beehive Cottages Stapeley Workhouse

Aston Union Workhouse

Peter Turnbull recently asked for more information about Audlem Workhouse here:

https://www.audlem.org/news/burleydam-workhouse.html

Peter Higginbotham, a leading national authority on workhouses, has recently amended his Nantwich page with some extra information about the Audlem Workhouse which was on Lodmore Lane, Burleydam:

https://www.workhouses.org.uk/Nantwich

Here he tells us "In 1776, Audlem had a workhouse for up to 10 paupers. In 1832, it had nine inmates. An 1842 tithe map indicates a 'poor house' just outside the parish on Lodmore Lane, Burleydam."

In Peter Higginbotham's book, Workhouses of Wales and the Welsh Borders he writes:

"Audlem opened a workhouse in 1740. In 1776, the establishment could house ten paupers. It was inactive in 1803 and 1818. In 1832, however, its nine inmates comprised a man of 97, four men about 70, a woman of 75, two women aged 28, and a girl of 9. An 1842 tithe map indicates a 'poor house' just inside the parish of Audlem at what is now 1-4 Lodmore Lane, Burleydam (SJ613423). An 1881 map identifies the site as 'Workhouse'.

I would recommend any book by Peter Higginbotham, if you are interested in Workhouse History.

You can see the Tithe Map here:

https://maps.cheshireeast.gov.uk/tithemaps/original.htm?township=EDT_138-2&id=184&width=10000&height=5958&lm=TitheMaps-tithe_grid&rm=OS_AllBasemaps_COLOUR-osc_grid

It's still shown as a workhouse on the 1885 map:

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/swipe/#zoom=15&lat=52.9797&lon=-2.5691&layers=1&right=ESRIWorld

and later referred to as Workhouse Cottages:

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/swipe/#zoom=15&lat=52.9775&lon=-2.5687&layers=10&right=ESRIWorld

Faye Edwards, in her MSc Thesis The treatment of poverty in Nantwich and Crewe 1730-1914 tells us that within the Nantwich Union, Audlem and Nantwich were the two largest distributors in terms of cash:

"Audlem who expended £463 (or 5s l0d per head of the population) and Nantwich with £1014 (or 3s 7d per head of the population)".

In the Cheshire Observer on 16th September 1905 (in Public Notices, third column from right in a piece detailing directions to a polling booth) there is a reference to it as a workhouse:

https://newspapers.library.wales/view/4248884/4248888/36/Lodmore%20AND%20workhouse

Even as late as 1909 (in the Cheshire Observer – Saturday 04 September 1909) it is still referred to as a workhouse (in an article detailing directions to a polling booth).

The building on Lodmore Lane predates Nantwich Workhouse (which was constructed in 1779-80 at the Barony on Beam Heath). When the Nantwich Union was formed on 18 February 1837, Audlem and Burland would be part of the Nantwich Union. After the new poor laws came into effect, I think the building at Lodmore Lane would be to house people who couldn't afford accommodation but were perhaps still capable of working. These places are sometimes referred to as poor houses. You may be interested to know that are other examples at Aston, and Stapely (please see attached). I have walked past the one at Stapely many times (it's between The Globe and Toll House) without realising it's former use!

I hope that this is of interest? If Peter is agreeable, I would like a picture of the 4 cottages on Lodmore Lane.
It's much harder to find out information on the smaller Poor or Workhouses than the big Union Workhouses. I tend to use the National Archives Discovery search:

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_ep=Lodmore%20Lane&_dss=range&_ro=any&_st=adv&_ps=60

which also lists items in many local archives.

If I find anything else, and you are interested, I will let you know.

With best wishes

Bill

http://billpearson.co.uk

p.s. I hope that relationships between neighbours are now better in Lodmore Lane:

THE CHRONICLE THURSDAY FEBRUARY 26 1987

Three families fight out neighbours' feud

A FIGHT broke out when a Burleydam couple were dragged into a neighbours' feud

The feud between Frank Faulkner and his neighbours Mrs Doris Hulse and her son Terence was over a right of way.

But William Williams and his wife Kathleen also claimed they had suffered three years' of insults from Mrs Hulse, Crewe and Nantwich magistrates heard.

The row came to a head when Mr Williams and Mr Hulse had a fight and the others intervened. Mr Williams, a crane driver of 4 Lodmore Lane Burleydam was fined £50 after pleading guilty to assaulting Mr Hulse causing him actual bodily harm last November.

Fight

He, his wife and Mr Faulkner of 1 Lodmore Lane admitted disturbing the peace and were each bound over in the sum of £100 to keep the peace for a year and were ordered to pay £10 costs.

Mr and Mrs Williams had nothing to do with the neighbours' dispute over a driveway between Mr Faulkner and the Hulses who live at Oakleigh Lodmore Lane said Mr Steve Everett prosecuting.

The fight started when Mr Williams went to speak to the Hulses after they had been shouting abuse at Mr Faulkner. Mrs Williams and Faulkner intervened in the scuffle and they all ended up on the floor.

The court heard that Mr and Mrs Williams had been subject to "an extreme degree of provocation" from the Hulses during the past three years.

The case against the Hulses, who are charged with disturbing the peace, was adjourned to a date to be set.