Blything Union Workhouse

Relief of the poor became the formal responsibility of parishes in the sixteenth century.

In the face of rising costs during the 18^th century, 15 groups of East Anglian parishes were incorporated by acts of parliament to create and oversee  large Houses of Industry.

Blything Union Workhouse, once established at Bulcamp, served 46 parishes and one township in the Blything Hundred. A Mackley

1722	The Poor Relief Act, also known as the Workhouse Test Act
1723	The Knatchbull Act repeated the clause of the Poor Relief Act of 1691, which ordered that in every parish a book should be kept registering the names of everyone receiving relief and the reasons why.  No one else was permitted to receive relief except in the cases of disease, plague or smallpox, except by authority of the Justice of Peace.  The Knatchbull Act allowed people to rent buildings to used as work or poor houses.  It also provided for a new programme of workhouse building reflecting the concern that the able bodied poor shouldbe brought under stricter control.
1756	Act allowed parishes to combine to provide adequate workhouses and to employ paid officials under the supervision of Incorporated Guardians of the Poor. It was under this act that Suffolk acquired Houses of Industry at Bulcamp, Shipmeadow and other sites.
1765	Blything Hundred Incorporation began to erect a House of Industry at Bulcamp near Blythburgh on 18th March 1765.
1766	Blything Union Workhouse opened its doors and admitted 56 paupers on 13th October 1766.
1767	The workhouse had 352 inmates in residence.  The poor were employed in spinning hemp, carding and spinning wool, weaving linen and woollen clothfor the use of the house, knitting stockings, mending shoes and cultivating the garden and land. workhouses.org.uk
1790	Average number of inmates during 1790 – 214 Whites 1844 Directory
1800	Average number of inmates during 1800  – 331 Whites 1844 Directory
1810	Average number of inmates during 1810 – 335 Whites 1844 Directory
1820	Average number of inmates during 1820 –  551 Whites 1844 Directory
1830	Average number of inmates during 1830 – 401 Whites 1844 Directory
1830s	During this period the agricultural depression was at its worst and the Guardians began shipping families out to Canada on returning timber ships Philip Kett
1834	Amendment to the Poor Law Act 1834 – passed by the Whig Government of Earl Grey – denied the right of the poor to subsistence. It completely replaced earlier legislation based on the Poor Relief Act 1601. The new act aimed to ‘raise the labouring classes from idleness, improvidence and degradation into which they had sunk’. Henceforth, relief in the workhouse was to offer a harsh regime intended to act as a deterrent. Husbands were separated from wives, children from parents, theoretically causing only the really desperate to seek help
1835	The Blything Incorporation was replaced by the Blything Poor Law Union who took over Bulcamp Workhouse.
1835	An Angry Riot took place on the 21st December 1835 involving 200 protesters. Military aid was sought from Ipswich.
1836	£1,000 was spent on making the workhouse comply with the requirements of the 1834 Poor Law Act which required strict segregation of the sexes and their children.
1836	Most stayed for a limited period – one week, up to two months – only a few stayed longer than three months.
1836	379 men, women & children were shipped out to Canada to create room at Bulcamp Workhouse. Philip Kett
1840	Average number of inmates during 1840 – 192 Whites 1844 Directory
1843	Average number of inmates during 1840 – 264.  Male able bodied inmates employed in a hand corn mill, in picking oakum etc. Whites 1844 Directory
c1851	George Funnell became Master of Blything Union Workhouse, his first wife Louisa was Matron Census
1871	George Funnell Master of Blything Union Workhouse, his new wife Elizabeth was Matron – on census night (2nd April 1871) there was 224 inmates Census
1879	Union Workhouse for the Hundred of Blything will hold 630 inmates Kelly’s Directory
1880 – 1890	Group photograph of Blything Union Workhouse Staff, Bulcamp 1880-1890
1892	Bulcamp is a hamlet, 1 mile NW. The workhouse for the Union of Blything is situated there – it will hold 640 inmates Kelly’s Directory
1896	1896   Workhouse Bulcamp, a building of brick, erected in 1766 to hold 640 inmates Alfred Caton, Master – Miss Wickins, Matron
1897	Marriage between Alfred Caton & Alice Sarah Wickins on 30th June 1897 at Southwold
1900	Workhouse Bulcamp, a building of brick, erected in 1766 to hold 640 inmates Alfred Caton, Master – Mrs Caton – Matron Kelly’s Directory
1901	Blything Union, Bulcamp, Workhouse Alfred Caton age 61, Master – Born London; Alice Sarah Caton age 36, Matron (wife) – Born Islington, London Census
1911	Blything Union Workhouse William John Brown age 33, Master of Workhouse – Born Glasgow; Minnie Gertrude Brown age 31, Matron of Workhouse – Born Hertfordshire Census
1916	Poor Law Institution, Bulcamp is a brick building erected in 1766 to hold 640 inmates.  Ben Excell – Master – Mrs Lydia Harris Excell, Matron Kelly’s Directory
1922	Poor Law Institution, Bulcamp is a brick building erected in 1766 to hold 640 inmates. Ben Excell – Master – Mrs Lydia Harris Excell, Matron Kelly’s Directory
1930	Blything Union Workhouse was renamed Red House.  This name change was made to this workhouse as well as others so as place of birth on birth certificates did not read Bulcamp Work House.
1939	After 1939 many workhouses operated as before but in the hands of Public Assistance Committee and were officially known as Poor Law Institutions since 1913. The elderly, the mentally deficient, unmarried mothers and vagrants were the principal classes of inmate.
1947	Blything Union Workhouse, latterly known as Red House was condemned as a workhouse slum.  On the 1st April 1947 Edward & Emma Last were appointed as Master & Matron of what was to become Blythburgh & District Hospital – a Geriatric Hospital.  They transformed it and worked there until 31st July 1977
1948	The Blythburgh & District Hospital opened its doors to provide care for the chronic sick
1994	The Blythburgh & District Geriatric Hospital closed
2001	The site was redeveloped for residential use – Blyth View
Late 2020	The bell tower was renewed and a dummy bell was installed. It was a 3D print from images of the original bell on display in the Halesworth & District Museum dated 1766.
24 November 2024 On a rather windy Sunday afternoon the residents and others gathered a Blyth View to unveil the memorial to the many thousands of people, now unknown, buried in the field by the old work house.