: Facilities typically housed the unemployed, elderly, orphans, and the sick.
: Historical records for these institutions are generally held in local archives, though Peter Higginbotham's The Workhouse website provides an extensive online database. Workhouses of Wales and the Welsh Borders - Amazon.com
: Able-bodied inmates were expected to perform tasks such as stone-breaking (often in dedicated cells) or laundry work. Workhouses of Wales and the Welsh Borders free ...
: Relief was generally restricted to those willing to enter the institution and follow its strict regime.
: Following the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 , which mandated the creation of Poor Law Unions and large workhouses, many Welsh districts actively resisted. : Relief was generally restricted to those willing
: A 1776 survey found nearly 2,000 parish workhouses in England, while Wales had only 19 .
: Several have been converted into private apartments, such as the former Cardigan Union workhouse at St Dogmaels. Others serve as museums, schools, youth hostels, or offices. : Several have been converted into private apartments,
Many workhouse buildings still stand today, though their purposes have changed dramatically:
