The Poor Cottage in Chidham Lane is a Grade II listed building and lies just south of the Catchpond.
Dating from around 1600, although some parts may be earlier, the building has an interesting history as it was the parish poor house until 1838. The problem of poverty raised public concern throughout the early 19th century. However, the system for looking after those unable to care for themselves, like the old, sick, disabled, orphans and unemployed was based on a series of Acts of Parliament passed during the late Tudor period, very out of date laws.
Did you know?
‘Poor laws’ imposed an obligation on every parish to take care of its poor, but this was really less to do with compassion for those in need than with a drive to preserve community order and stability. ‘Poor relief’ was made the responsibility of each local parish and a ‘poor rate’ was a tax paid by all parish householders to take care of the poor, a bit like we pay Council Tax for local services today.
The ‘poor rate’ tried to help the poor in two main ways. Those able to work, but whose wages were too low to support their families, could receive ‘relief in aid of wages’ in the form of money, food and clothes. However, those who were ill, old, destitute or who were orphaned children were put into the poorhouse or the local workhouse.
Under the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, parishes were grouped into ‘unions’ and each union had to build a workhouse if they did not already have one. The poor of the parish of Chidham were sent to the Westbourne Union Workhouse, which had opened in the late 1770 to help the poor of all Bourne villages, and some remains of its walls are West of the Cricketers Arms.
Did You Know?
Workhouse conditions were very tough and 10 percent of people admitted to them died within their walls. People continued to be sent to them until they were abolished in 1948 under the National Assistance Act that created our current social security system.
Whilst details of the early ownership and management of the Chidham poorhouse are not known, in 1810 John Newland bought Chidmere House. He was later Lord of the Manor of Chidham, Mayor of Chichester and the builder of Cobnor House and the 1812 Enclosure Map shows that he also owned the Poor Cottage. The 1890 Deeds of Poor Cottage refers to it as having been ‘enfranchised to one John Newland by William Padwick Lord of the said Manor formerly in the occupation of the Churchwardens of the said Parish and used by them as a Poorhouse.’
The Overseers Rate Book for Chidham (West Sussex Record Office) has an entry dated October 1836 ‘Received of Wm White Three Pounds Eight Shillings for a Half a Year Rent from Individuals in Poorhouse Wm Smith Churchwarden’. An entry in the Overseers Rate Book, dated 7 February 1838, states ‘Notice is hereby given that a Vestry will be holden at the Church on Thursday 15th Feb at 11:00 to decide about the disposal of the Chidham Poor House and Garden’.
Did you know?
A Vestry is simply a meeting of parishioners for the conduct of parochial (parish) business.
At the 1838 Vestry meeting it was agreed that a sale be made to William Smith for £120, unless another person bid more at a meeting in March to complete the sale. Also it was understood that, if any surplus on the Debt to Mr Newland should accrue, it would be placed in the Westbourne Union Workhouse Account for Chidham, and if any loss be sustained, it would be placed in the Chidham Poor Book.’
At a meeting held at the Parish of Chidham on 27 March 1838 a Dutch Auction was held and Mr David Coles of Funtington declared the purchaser of the Poor House for £145.
Did you know?
A Dutch auction, also called a descending price auction, is where an auctioneer starts with a very high price, incrementally lowering the price until someone places a bid. As long as the price is above the reserve price, that first bid wins the auction, which avoids any bidding wars.
After this auction the Poor House was usually rented out to local people. in 1846 the tithe map of Chidham describes it as four tenements and gardens occupied by ‘labourers’ with an orchard to the East.
In July 1891 James Hackett paid a yearly rental of £13 and, in the 1940s, Mrs Nellie Hoare was a tenant together with her husband and daughters.
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During WW2 Nellie described life in the Poor House as very basic, with no electricity, water having to be drawn from a well. It had a dry privy (toilet) adjacent to the garden wall and an air raid shelter!
Poor Cottage was given to Mr Albert Burgess in 1960, but by the 1970s it had fallen into a very neglected state. Despite a developer submitting several plans since, Chichester District Council rejected them all as unsympathetic for the site. Mr and Mrs DW Lambert acquired the property in 1974. Initially living in a static caravan in the garden, they, together with their children, gradually secured the fabric of the cottage. In 1987 the present owners took over occupation and it received a Grade II listing as a building of architectural or historical importance.
- Read about the local Westbourne workhouse that service the Bourne area – click here
- Find out more about what happened to the poor in workhouses at Wikipedia – click here
- Find out more about the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 and what it meant – click here
- Find out about the 1948 National Assistance Act and creation of the National Health Service