Author Topic: North Petherwin Poor House  (Read 7001 times)

Offline lemming23

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North Petherwin Poor House
« on: Friday 28 September 12 07:43 BST (UK) »
Hi,
I am confused about the nature of this house which appears on census returns in 1871, 1881.

Was it still operating as a poor house at this time or was the only poorhouse in the area, the workhouse in Launceston?  In one census there's a reference to Poorhouse Village. It appears next to Greenlane in 1881.

Thank you in advance for your time,

Lemming
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Offline JaneyCanuck

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Re: North Petherwin Poor House
« Reply #1 on: Saturday 29 September 12 19:32 BST (UK) »
Very difficult to find without directions to a record, for example.

I've managed to find that the place name is spelled North Petherwyn in 1881 (and actually is spelled that way in the census book in 1871 as well). Pages 7-8 of district 3 in 1881 show the address "Poor House" but there are separate household schedules for each of the handful of families and the adults are shown with occupations. The previous address in 1881 is "Rough Ground".

The 1881 poorhouse households start with Charles Lawrence, farm labourer, with adult children who are general servant and farm labourer. There are several farms on the previous pages so it would seem the labourers had employment. Could it have been a temporary residence, for workers in the sprint planting, for instance? A majority of the heads of household were born in North Petherwyn ...

One of the households is Philip and Mary Parsons. In 1871 they are at "Ford" between Ford Farm and Ford Hill.

Finding the address in 1871 would mean reading through all the records, without more specific directions. Can you give some, e.g. to a particular household? I'm just thinking that identifying the location might help some, although not likely.

www.workhouses.org.uk just says the Launceston Poor Law Union covered North Petherwin:
http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Launceston/

Ah. Looking at the description of district 3 in 1881:

All that remaining part of the
Parish of North Peterwyn lying to
the West of the two former divisions and
West of the road leading from Penheale
Ford to Penruse(?) to Winnacott, Billacott
Poor Houses and Trosswell(?) to Pattacott(?)
inculding the Villages of Penruse
Billacott, Poorhouses, Trosswell(?) Lower
Trosswell and Trossell(?) the Farms
Winnacott, Penruse Mill Hilford
Widdacott, Pattacott, Cappadocia
Rough Ground and the Cottages
of Billacott Hill Greenlane
Bickels House, Lake, East Trosswell
and the Trehouse(?), Griss(?) and Winna
Ford

and of district 3b in 1871:

... - including the Villages of
Penruse, Billacott, Poor Houses, Trosswell
and Trossell - ...

-- I'd say it was a place name, not a term for a "poorhouse".

In 1871 the households at that location start at page 10 of district 3b and there are several of the same famlies as in 1881: Lawrence, Cann, Bickel.

So it was a place of permanent habitation, with a fairly stable population.



HILL, HOARE, BOND, SIBLY, Cornwall (Devon); DENNIS, PAGE, WHITBREAD, Essex; BARNARD, CASTLE, PONTON, Wiltshire; SANKEY, HORNE, YOUNG, Kent; COWDELL, Bermondsey; COOPER, SMITH, FALLOWELL, WILLEY, Notts; CAMPION, CARTER, CRADDOCK, KENNY, Northants; LITTLER, CORNER, Leicestershire; RUSHLAND, Lincolnshire; MORRISON, Ireland; COLLINS, ?; ... MONCK?

Offline lemming23

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Re: North Petherwin Poor House
« Reply #2 on: Sunday 30 September 12 15:07 BST (UK) »
Yes,  I think you're right! Thank you for looking at this. It's a curious name for a village though! I wonder what the derivation might be.
Lemming
Wise Cornwall
Mutton Cornwall,  Australia
Webb Cornwall,  Australia
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Offline JaneyCanuck

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Re: North Petherwin Poor House
« Reply #3 on: Sunday 30 September 12 15:52 BST (UK) »
You're welcome! And googling may have found a few clues.

Both about Altarnun (where the structure survives):

http://www.primelocation.com/homes-news/houses-in-cornwall/

"By contrast old poor houses, mostly dating from the 18th and 19th century, are now just as desireable, as are the similarly-small old miners’ cottages. Now 200 years old at least, they were built for workers at two local copper and tin mines, long closed, and some were used by Italian prisoners of war in World War Two; these days they are likely to house home-workers or commuters to towns nearby."

http://www.cornwall-online.co.uk/north-cornwall/altarnun.htm

"To the left of the church facing the village green, which is bounded by Penpont Water on one side, stands a long white cottage which is recorded in the early 19th century as being the 'Poor Houses'. This was run by the local parish overseer of the poor, but was sold in 1871 and is now a private residence."

So the same thing may have happened in your case -- the building(s) had been an original "poorhouse" but by 1871 was occupied as private residences (maybe divided into a row of separate dwellings?).

About Exeter, written in 1878-79:

http://archive.org/stream/historygazetteer00whituoft/historygazetteer00whituoft_djvu.txt

"The Poor Houses, comprising four small cottages, were purchased in 1675, with £45 given by various donors, and are occupied by poor families, who pay a weekly rental of 3c?."

-- and there is lots more to read there about poor relief and properties that were provided (often through private bequests, it seems) for low-income households -- more a form of subsidized housing than a comprehensive arrangement like the workhouse system.

So it seems maybe there were still "poor houses" available for families after workhouses were instituted in the Poor Law Unions.

HILL, HOARE, BOND, SIBLY, Cornwall (Devon); DENNIS, PAGE, WHITBREAD, Essex; BARNARD, CASTLE, PONTON, Wiltshire; SANKEY, HORNE, YOUNG, Kent; COWDELL, Bermondsey; COOPER, SMITH, FALLOWELL, WILLEY, Notts; CAMPION, CARTER, CRADDOCK, KENNY, Northants; LITTLER, CORNER, Leicestershire; RUSHLAND, Lincolnshire; MORRISON, Ireland; COLLINS, ?; ... MONCK?


Offline lemming23

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Re: North Petherwin Poor House
« Reply #4 on: Monday 01 October 12 13:03 BST (UK) »
This is very interesting.

The Canns, the Lawrences and the Parsons were related.

William Broad died in 1825 in Poor House and his daughter Mary married a Lawrence so it's possible that William bought the poor house from the parish and it was passed on through the family or they were a poor family throughout the generations who were maintained by the parish, and paid a small rent, and they either continued this practice post 1834 or managed to pay for it somehow.

The Philip Parsons who resided at Poorhouse in 1881 was actually in the Launceston workhouse by 1891 so I think some sort of support from the parish is more likely.

Many thanks Janey,
Lemming

Wise Cornwall
Mutton Cornwall,  Australia
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Offline JaneyCanuck

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Re: North Petherwin Poor House
« Reply #5 on: Monday 01 October 12 14:24 BST (UK) »
It is indeed!

Since they were all agricultural labours, I would agree it is most likely that they were subsidized in some way to live in the houses, by paying low or no rent and/or by receiving other forms of relief - probably depending on time of year and the availability of work and so on.

It's very interesting to see the kinds of arrangements that were made in some communities before the poor law unions were required to make formal arrangements. It all seems to have depended on private donations and bequests, so I guess what was done depended on the prosperity of the communities and of course on the generosity of the prosperous members.

I wonder whether this area of England was different from others in this regard.
HILL, HOARE, BOND, SIBLY, Cornwall (Devon); DENNIS, PAGE, WHITBREAD, Essex; BARNARD, CASTLE, PONTON, Wiltshire; SANKEY, HORNE, YOUNG, Kent; COWDELL, Bermondsey; COOPER, SMITH, FALLOWELL, WILLEY, Notts; CAMPION, CARTER, CRADDOCK, KENNY, Northants; LITTLER, CORNER, Leicestershire; RUSHLAND, Lincolnshire; MORRISON, Ireland; COLLINS, ?; ... MONCK?

Offline davidtreb

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Re: North Petherwin Poor House
« Reply #6 on: Saturday 20 October 12 15:55 BST (UK) »
I'm very interested to read the comments about this name, since the father of several of the Lawrences mentioned (including the one who married Mary Broad) is my direct ancestor.
Some of them had this address as early as the 1851 census, so the assumption about its nature certainly seems to make sense.
David.

Offline lemming23

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Re: North Petherwin Poor House
« Reply #7 on: Friday 07 December 12 11:36 GMT (UK) »
I've just seen your response David. I'll pm you and perhaps we can share information.

Best wishes,
Lemming
Wise Cornwall
Mutton Cornwall,  Australia
Webb Cornwall,  Australia
Bottrell Cornwall, South Wales
Johns Cornwall
Johnson S. Wales
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Offline lashy1966

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Re: North Petherwin Poor House
« Reply #8 on: Friday 24 January 14 11:52 GMT (UK) »
Hi, i may be able to help you concerning the poorhouse . I live in North Petherwin and my old house was at Brazzacott cross in the parish.It stands on a hill which is named Poor House hill.A number of other houses used to stand on the hill ,but have long since been demolished.