In 1792 the parishes around Welshpool, Montgomery and the borders got together to form a Union to introduce an entirely new system for looking after the poor.
A new workhouse was built in Forden, and poor people from across the area who could not support themselves were shut away in this new House of Industry.

This new Poor Law Union was run by a Board of Guardians, and the old records of the Guardians tell us something about how the poor of the area were cared for. (After 1870 the Union was called the Forden Union).
Select from the list below.