We have all probably walked down Workhouse Lane, taking our children to school or going to the shops. Was the Westfield workhouse actually housed in the (now) attractive cottages opposite the school? 

According to the report written by Thomas Gilbert in 1777, the workhouse had the capacity to accommodate 36 inmates. One sad entry in the parish records refers to the illegitimate baby of one Elizabeth Borthwick, admitted to the workhouse on 25th March 1820. You can click on the Book icon, below, to begin a search for the poor individuals kept there.

Visit the Westfield Poor Law records from as early as 1552 (discovered in the church tower in 1937 and deposited now in the East Sussex archives)