Castle Street, Stockport

[Liz_Archivist]

Does anybody know of any hospitals/confinement homes on Castle Street, Stockport around the late 1830s? A recent death certificate gives the cause of death as consumption and the witness (his wife) has her address as Castle Street Stockport (inmate). I’m trying to find out where she might have been an inmate of and was wondering if it was some sort of isolation home for consumption (two of her children also died of the disease).

Any thoughts most welcome.
Thanks   

[tina morana]

Hi Liz
Some names would help please.
Thanks
Tinam

[Liz_Archivist]

Hi Tina,

Thanks for responding.
The names were Thomas Lamb and Mary Lamb. Both had the address as Castle Street but only Mary was recorded as an 'inmate' which seemed slightly odd. He died in 1839. By the 1841 census she was elsewhere in Stockport at a residential address.

Thanks

[elzabels]

Have a look at this link

http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Stockport/

The building has in recent yerars been partly demolished, if you maps. google.co.uk: enter Flint Street Stockport, the red brick building is on the B road, part is still retained. Castle Street is a 2 min walk away!

Stockport Heritage Library has some of the records
http://www.stockport.gov.uk/services/leisureculture/libraries/morelibraryservices/localheritagelibrary/

[tina morana]

Hi Liz 
Thomas may have been in the hospital part of the workhouse, which happened very often.
His wife may have stayed with him until his death and perhaps the only bed she had was in the workhouse?
That's why she is listed an inmate on the death cert?
The fact she is living somewhre else in 1841 census, says she wasn't a long term dependant.
Just a thought

Tinam

[millymcb]

Stockport Poor Law Union formed in 1837 and the Workhouse opened in 1841.  Castle Street runs behind where this old Workhouse was. The building later became a St Thomas' Hospital (Psycho geriatric) which was a pretty grim place.

Workhouse.org.uk says "Initially, the new Stockport Union continued to use an existing parish workhouse, but a new building was erected in 1841-2". So - in 1839 it would not have been this particular workhouse but an earlier version.  It does seem likely it was in the same general area though - possibly on the same site while the new one was being built? Perhaps an old gazetteer or newspaper might be able to pinpoint it further

Milly

[Liz_Archivist]

Hi Everyone,

Many thanks for the suggestions. I also wondered if it may be the case that she stayed with him in some sort of hospital attached to the workhouse. I have access to the british archive newspapers so will have a flick through them.

Thanks again,
Liz

[millymcb]

There is a Poor Law  Union report about Stockport years 1840-41 here
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0kwb/
which talks about the old system and plans to build the new workhouse.  It refers to previous workhouses (plural) so there was presumably more than one about at the time.

Milly

[Ray T]

Castle Street runs behind where this old Workhouse was.

"Castle Street, Edgeley", as it's more commonly known in Stockport, doesn't actually run past, adjacent to or behind the site of the workhouse and I suggest that you check on one of the easily available mapping programmes to check the relationship.

Castle Street is the main shopping street for the Edgeley district - in now partially pedestrianised - whereas the workhouse/St Thomas Hospital site is on Shaw Heath (the road, not the district from where it derives its name). There is a distance of around 200 yards and the main Manchester/London railway line between the two.