My father William Henry Middleton was born in the Sheffield Workhouse 17th January 1902
Please can you tell me where this workhouse was.

yours sincerely

Jean Ostler

It could have been at the old Fir Vale Hospital. If you google Sheffield workhouse there is some information.

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

It could have been either Ecclesall Bierlow which later became Nether Edge Hospital or the Sheffield Union Workhouse at Fir Vale which is now the Northeren General hospital.
Knowing where family lived previously could help sort out the most likely workhouse.

Hi Jean,

Sheffield Registration website shows William Henry Middleton born 1902 in the Brightside Bielow District.

The Brightside Workhouse was still active in the early 1900's mainly for children but also for some adults.

It was located on the east side of Rock Street, Pitsmoor which encompassed the Brightside Bierlow.

HAPPY HUNTING:sleuth_or_spy:

Sorry but the Rock St Workhouse (1841 -ish) was no longer being used in 1902 having been shut a long time before that.
The only two workhouses in use in the 1900s were Sheffield Union at Fir Vale (covered Attercliffe and Brightside) and the Ecclesall Bierlow which became Nether Edge hospital. If the birth was registered in the Brightside area then it would have been at the Fir Vale Workhouse
https://www.sth.nhs.uk/services/a-z-of-services?id=288&page=246
https://www.sth.nhs.uk/services/a-z-of-services?id=288&page=245
Lyn

Hi Lyn,

Re: Brightside Workhouse- Mea Culpa and apologies to all for taking a wrong turn.

The birth reg. district for Wm.Henry Middleton, according to Sheffield Reg. remains the same, as Brightside Bierlow. So as you said, it is quite possible he was born at Firvale.

Lyn, for the record, do you have a closing date/year for the Brightside Workhouse?
From the accounts I have read so far, it appears Kelham Workhouse was eventually absorbed into Firvale but so far, I have found no mention of Brightside Workhouse, was the latter absorbed by Kelham before the amalgamation into the new Firvale...?

Cheers
Wendy in Guelph:sleuth_or_spy:

From what I understand Wendy, the one on Rock St was an overflow one from Kelham Island. I think it is only to be found in the census of 1841. My area of interest is mainly Fir Vale Workhouse.
Work commenced on the one at Fir Vale in 1878 (140 yrs ago), it was completed in 1880 and it was put into immediate use, the official opening being in Sept 1881. Kelham closed as Fir Vale opened up. There had been a need for another workhouse since 1855-ish but nothing happened until the one at Fir Vale was built in the countryside 'well away from the sight and smells of the town.' Anyone who knows the area well will laugh at that last phrase. The town of Sheffield expanded and swallowed up all the countryside around it. And from about the 70s onwards most of the green spaces within the grounds of the old Workhouse and hospital are now car parks.
Lyn

From the Workhouses website - that wonderful mine of information I always fall back on - it says the Rock St one was erected in 1801. http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Sheffield/
Lyn

Thank you Lyn for all your input. I agree the workhouse website is very informative and always a 'go to' for me.
Cheers, Wendy:sleuth_or_spy: