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A workhouse in "the priory" in Holy Trinity parish is known as early as 1613 (BA/H/H/17/1 p.368), which may be the one which existed in Palmer Lane in 1702. In 1726 Trinity officers obtained a building called the Stonehouse in Well Street which was perhaps rebuilt in 1763 and certainly enlarged during the eighteenth century. St. Michael's in 1724 had a workhouse next to the Bridewell, probably the one which was in a court, later known as Workhouse Yard, in Hill Street. In 1801 a local Act united the two ancient parishes, establishing all £50 freeholders and £20 leaseholders as guardians of the poor, hence the national reform of 1834 was not taken as essential locally, so the city administration was not regularised until 1874. By 1804 Whitefriars' was being used as a workhouse for both parishes, enlarged in 1843 and 1863. The board of guardians functioned until its duties were transferred in 1930 to the corporation and the site's Victorian additions became Gulson Road Hospital. The council thus established rather a public assitance committee which oversaw the remaining poor law functions until they were abolished under the terms of the National Assistance Act of 1948.