| Administrative History | The Poor Law Amendment Act, 1834, removed the responsibility for the relief of the poor from the parish, and the overseers of the poor, to boards of guardians appointed to administer groups of parishes in poor law unions. These boards, which were responsible initially to the central Poor Law Commission, and, from 1847 to the Poor Law Board, were empowered to build union workhouses. Additional duties not related to the poor law were, from time to time, allocated to the guardians. These included the registration of births, marriages and deaths from 1837, vaccination from 1840, rate assessment from 1862, nuisance removal from 1860, public health as rural sanitary authorities from 1872, school attendance from 1876 and infant life protection from 1897. Rating duties were transferred to the district councils in 1925. The poor law unions in Cheshire, set up in 1836, were Bucklow (Altrincham prior to 1895), Chester, Congleton, Macclesfield, Nantwich, Northwich, Runcorn, Stockport, Tarvin (Great Boughton prior to 187 1) and Wirral. There were several boundary changes, generally involving townships lying on either side of the county boundaries. Unions were abolished in 1930, following the Local Government Act, 1929, their functions passing to the county council, through the Public Assistance Committee. Responsible to this committee were eight local area guardians' committees, appointed to supervise the institutions in each district. Finally, in 1948, the poor law system was abolished, hospitals being nationalised under the National Health Service and the local authority remaining responsible for the care of children and old people. The continuity of administration before and after 1930, and in some institutions after 1948 is reflected in the records.
Congleton Poor-Law Union was formed on 13 January 1837, and included the following parishes and townships: Alsager, Arclid, Betchton, Biddulph [Staffordshire] (until 1893), Blackden, Bradwall, Brereton cum Smethwick, Buglawton, Church Hulme, Church Lawton, Cotton, Cranage, Davenport, Elton [nr. Sandbach], Goostrey cum Barnshaw (from 1867), Hassall, Hulme Walfield, Kermincham, Leese, Moreton cum Alcumlow, Moston [nr. Sandbach], Newbold Astbury, Odd Rode, Radnor (until 1895), Sandbach, Smallwood, Somerford, Somerford Booths, Swettenham, Tetton, Twemlow, and Wheelock.
The Union Workhouse was opened in 1845 at Arclid, near Sandbach. After 1930 it was known as Arclid Hospital (see also NHCs 10). The hospital closed in November 1993, and the buildings were demolished in 1995. |