| AdminHistory | Poor Law Unions were established under the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834. This Act grouped individual parishes into unions, thus replacing the parish overseers of the poor. Unions, could if they wished, build workhouses. The unions were governed by Boards of Guardians. Guardians were subject to an annual election. Boards of Guardians were abolished in 1930 under the Local Government Act of 1929. Most of their functions were transferred to local authority Public Assistance Departments. Workhouses became known as Public Assistance Institutions.
Formed in 1838, the Wortley Poor Law Union initially comprised the townships of Bradfield, Ecclesfield, Hoylandswaine, Hunshelf, Ingbirchworth, Langsett, Oxspring, Penistone, Tankersley, Thurgoland, Thurlstone and Wortley.
On 27 July 1849 the townships of Hoylandswaine, Hunshelf, Ingbirchworth, Langsett, Oxspring, Penistone, Thurgoland and Thurlstone were separated from Wortley Union and joined with Cawthorne, Clayton West, Denby, Gunthwaite, High Hoyland, Kexborough and Silkstone to form Penistone Union. From that date Wortley Union comprised Bradfield, Ecclesfield, Tankersley and Wortley.
A workhouse was erected at Grenoside in 1850-1. |
| CustodialHistory | On the abolition of South Yorkshire County Council on 31 March 1986, the records passed from South Yorkshire County Record Office, by agreement of the four South Yorkshire District Councils, to the custody of Sheffield Archives as lead authority. |