| Administrative History | Woodcot Hospital, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, grew out of Kincardine Combination Poorhouse. Until the mid 19th century, poor relief in Scotland remained essentially a function of the Church, administered since the Reformation through the Kirk Sessions. With the Disruption of the Church of Scotland in 1843 the old poor law became unworkable and this necessitated the passing of the Poor Law Amendment Act (Scotland) in 1845. This act created parochial boards (comprising of Kirk Sessions, heritors and elected representatives of the ratepayers) which were to appoint Inspectors of the Poor and provide poor relief. A central Board of Supervision was established in Edinburgh. The act also empowered any parochial board, or combination of boards, with a population exceeding 5,000 to erect a poor house. Previous to this only 13 workhouses had existed in Scotland. The function of these new poor houses was to provide a home for the friendless and impotent poor, to eradicate begging, to provide a test of genuine need, and to reduce the overall cost of poor relief.
In 1862 the parishes of Kincardineshire began to discuss the possibilities of establishing such a poor house. A Contract of Agreement was eventually drawn up in November 1865 whereby the parochial boards of the parishes of Fetteresso, Bervie, Fordoun, Glenbervie, Laurencekirk, Fettercairn, Dunnottar, Strachan, Durris, Marykirk, Kinneff, Arbuthnott and Banchory-Ternan combined to build and manage the "Kincardineshire Combination Poor House" just outside Stonehaven. This poor house was to include two, twenty-bedded, wards for the care of "lunatic" and "fatuous" paupers.
In 1921 the poor house changed its name to Woodcot. In 1948 the hospital was taken over by the National Health Service and poor law inmates were given the opportunity of being boarded out or remaining where they were. These homeless patients were the responsibility of the local authorities rather than the health services and were therefore very gradually phased out. The hospital largely catered for geriatric patients, and closed in 1998. |
| Description | Minutes, 1862 - 1948; registers: admissions and discharges, officials, lunatics, etc. (some indexed), 1867 - 1978; case notes, 1868 - 1951; leases, reports, contract of agreement, etc., 1865 - 1980; painting, 1900. |