Parish Unions Before 1834

Many parishes had arrangements between themselves whereby they shared the cost of accommodating their poor in one large poorhouse or workhouse. In some instances these Unions also accepted paupers from parishes not formally belonging to that Union and this information appears under the individual parishes in the “Parish Poorhouses “section of this website. The date that the parish joined that Union and either subsequently left it or was still part of the Union when it was dissolved is in brackets. It is expected that this list will increase as research into how the parishes housed their poor progresses.

Date of Agreement – 24 May 1748
Workhouse Location – Halling

Participating Parishes

Birling (1748 to ?)
Halling (1748 to ?)
Luddesdown (1748 to ?)
Snodland (1748 to ?)

Date of first Agreement –
Workhouse Location – Northfleet

Participating parishes

  • Chalk (by 1768 to ?)
  • Northfleet (by 1768 to ?)
  • Southfleet (by 1768 to ?)

Date of Agreement – October 1789
Workhouse Location – Martin, East Langdon

Participating Parishes

  • St Margaret at Cliffe (1789 to 1835)
  • Oxney (1789 to 1835)
  • East Langdon (1789 to 1835)
  • West Langdon (1789 to 1835)
  • Guston (1789 to 1835)
  • Little Mongeham (1789 to 1835)
  • Great Mongeham (by 1790 to 1835)
  • Ripple (by 1790 to 1835)
  • Sutton next Dover (by 1790 to 1835)
  • West Cliffe (1790 to 1835)

Date of Agreement – 14 March 1791
Workhouse Location – River

Participating Parishes

  • River (1791 to 1835)
  • Whitfield otherwise Beausfield (1791 to 1835)
  • Buckland (1791 to 1835)
  • Charlton (1791 to 1835)
  • Hougham, otherwise Huffam (1791 to 1835)
  • Alkham (1791 to 1835)
  • Capel le Ferne (1791 to 1835)
  • Folkestone (by 1792 to 1835)
  • Walmer (by 1792 to 1835)
  • Ewell (by 1793 to 1835)
  • Saint James the Apostle, Dover (by 1793 to 1835)
  • Ringwould (by 1799 to 1835)
  • Eythorne (by 1800 to 1835)

Date of Agreement – 12 July 1793
Workhouse Location – Eastry

Participating Parishes

  • Eastry (1793 to 1835)
  • Northborne (1793 to 1835)
  • Sibertswould (1793 to 1835)
  • Tilmanstone (1793 to 1835)
  • Coldred (1793 to 1835)
  • Lydden (1793 to 1835)
  • Waldershare (1793 to 1835)
  • Knowlton (1793 to 1835)
  • Betshanger (1793 to 1835)
  • Chillenden (by 1794 to 1835)
  • Denton (by 1794 to 1835)
  • Swingfield (by 1794 to 1835)
  • Wotton ( by 1794 to 1835)
  • Ham (by 1800 to 1835)
  • Woodnesborough (by 1803 to 1835)
  • Preston next Wingham (by 1812 to 1835)

Date of Agreement –
Workhouse Location – Hollingbourne

Participating Parishes

  • Hollingbourne
  • Leeds
  • Wormshill
  • Plus 8 other parishes

Date of Agreement – 5 December 1800
Workhouse Location – Gravesend

Participating Parishes

  • Gravesend
  • Milton next Gravesend

Date of Agreement – 22 May 1805
Workhouse Location – ~

Participating Parishes

  • Tudely (1805 to ?)
  • Capel (1805 to ?)

Date of Agreement – 6 June 1808
Workhouse Location – Elham

Participating Parishes

  • Elham (1808 to ?)
  • Bishopsborne (1808 to ?)
  • Elmsted (1808 to ?)
  • Hastingsleigh (1808 to ?)
  • Stelling (1808 to ?)
  • Acrise (by 1825 to ?)
  • Brabourne (by 1825 to ?)
  • Barham (by 1825 to ?)
  • Cherition (by 1825 to ?)
  • Newington next Hythe (by 1825 to ?)
  • Stelling (by 1825 to ?)

Date of Agreement – 27 March 1820
Workhouse Location – Whitstable

Participating Parishes

  • Whitstable (1820 to ?)
  • Chislett (1821 to ?)
  • Sturry (1822 to ?)

Date of first Agreement – 12 November 1829
Workhouse Location – Willesborough

Participating parishes

  • Willesborough

Date of first Agreement – November 1759
Workhouse Location – Lynsted

Participating parishes

  • Lynsted (or Linstead) (1759 to 1835)
  • Teynham 1759 to 1835)
  • Newington (1764 to ?)

(also referred to as the Bearsted Union or Linton Union)

Date of first Agreement – 4 July 1771
Workhouse Location – Coxheath, East Farleigh

Participating parishes

  • Linton (1771 to 1835)
  • Loose (1771 to 1835)
  • East Farleigh (1771 to 1835)
  • West Farleigh (1771 to 1835)
  • Hunton (by 1776 to 1835)
  • Barming (by 1776 to ?)
  • Debtling/Detling (by 1776 to ?)
  • Boughton Monchelsea (by 1790 to 1835)
  • Chart next Sutton (by 1794 to ?)
  • Otham (by 1794 to 1835)
  • Bearsted (by 1794 to 1835)
  • Teston (by 1816 to 1835)

Date of Agreement – 18 October 1774
Workhouse Location – Darenth

Participating Parishes

  • Darenth (1774 to ?)
  • Horton Kirby (1774 to ?)

Date of Agreement – 26 January 1790
Workhouse Location – Selling

Participating Parishes

  • Selling (1790 to 1835)
  • Sheldwich (1790 to 1835)
  • Preston next Faversham (1790 to 1835)
  • Challock (1790 to 1835)
  • Badlesmere (1790 to 1835)
  • Boughton under the Blean (1790 to 1835)
  • Norton (1792 to 1835)
  • Molash (by 1813 to 1835)
  • The Ville of Dunkirk (by 1823 to 1835)
  • Stone (by 1823 to about 1834)
  • Leaveland (by 1823 to 1835)
  • Goodnestone (by 1828 to about 1833)
  • The Isle of Harty (by 1829 to 1835)
  • Davington (by 1831 to 1835

Date of Agreement – 11 October 1791
Workhouse Location – Smarden

Participating Parishes

  • Smarden

Date of first Agreement – 20 May 1794
Workhouse Location – Birchington

Participating parishes

  • Birchington (1794 to 1835)
  • Vill of Wood/Acol (1794 to 1835)
  • Monckton (1794 to 1835)
  • Vill of Sarr (1794 to 1835)

Date of first Agreement – 15 July 1800
Workhouse Location – Waltham

Participating parishes

  • Aldington (1805 to 1824)
  • Crundale (1800 to 1824)
  • Horton or Monks Horton (1805 to 1824)
  • Lower Hardres (1800 to 1824)
  • Lyminge
  • Lympne
  • Nackington
  • Petham (1800 to ?)
  • Postling
  • Smeeth (1805 to ?)
  • Stanford
  • Upper Hardres
  • Waltham (1800 to ?)

Date of first Agreement – 2 June 1802
Workhouse Location – Rough Common, Harbledown

Participating parishes

  • Holy Cross Westgate (1802 to 1835)
  • Saint Michael Harbledown (1802 to 1835)
  • Graveney (by 1806 to 1835)
  • Hernhill (by 1806 to 1835)
  • Saint Dunstan (by 1810 to 1835)

Date of first Agreement – 3 February 1807
Workhouse Location – Archbishop’s Place, Canterbury

Participating parishes

  • Precinct of the Archbishops Palace (1807 to 1835)
  • Borough of Staplegate (1807 to 1835)
  • Ville or Township of Saint Gregory (1807 to 1835)
  • Saints Cosmos and Damian in the Blean (1807 to 1835)
  • Beakesbourne (1808 to 1835)
  • Bridge (1808 to 1835)
  • Hackington otherwise Saint Stephens (1811 to ?)
  • Patrixbourne (1813 to 1835)
  • Stodmarsh (1814 to 1835)
  • Thannington (1817 to 1835)
  • Ville of Christ Church (1817 to 1835)
  • Westbere (1818 to ?)
  • Stourmouth (1820 to 1835)
  • Nackington (1825 to 1835)
  • Borough of Hoath (1825 to 1835)
  • Lower Hardres (1828 to 1835)
  • Swalcliffe (1828 to 1835)

Date of first Agreement – 8 June 1815
Workhouse Location – Horsmonden

Participating parishes

  • Horsmonden

Kent Unions