all purchased. Children at the workhouse appear to have received some education at this time, as the purchase of copy and spelling books, easy readers, bibles and catechisms is also recorded. The prison reformer John Howard visited the workhouse on 1 August 1788, on which date it had only 44 inhabitants, and gave the following account of conditions: After the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, Nantwich Poor Law Union, formed on 18 February 1837, took over the existing workhouse. It then served 86 parishes and townships, with an elected governing board of 88 guardians. The workhouse building was expanded around this time, including the addition of a further storey. By 1850, the board had expanded to 93 guardians and, in addition to the governor, workhouse staff at that date included a matron, house surgeon, schoolmistress, chaplain and clerk. On 3 April 1881, there were 222 inhabitants. By 1892, the original workhouse building had been enlarged and was then used for 260 people. In 1914, there were 308 inhabitants and 18 officers, including a master, matron, chaplain, medical officer and dentist. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several associated buildings were constructed adjacent to the workhouse. A children's home and school was built in 1879–80 at a cost of £3,300, which accommodated 60 children. In 1890–91, an infirmary was built at a cost of around £4,500, which provided 70 beds for poor patients; a woman's hospital was added in 1905 at a cost of £7,000, providing a further 70 beds. An adjacent nurses' home housed 15 nurses. Several buildings were added in 1894–96, including a ward for tramps, a mortuary and a steam laundry. Barony Hospital The Local Government Act of 1929 transferred the functions of workhouse boards to the local authority in 1930. The workhouse and its associated buildings were converted into a Public Assistance Institution, later known as Barony Hospital, with 124 beds, which treated poor people who were chronically sick. From 1935, the hospital was used for acute medical cases and as a maternity hospital, and also housed some patients with chronic illnesses. After the outbreak of the Second World War, the hospital was extended with 240 beds in huts; in 1963 there were 264 beds in total. Between 1948 and 1962, it was additionally used as a mental hospital. In 1982, the hospital was in use for geriatric and psychiatric patients, with 147 beds.