The population explosion from the Industrial Revolution turned many small rural parishes into the large towns overnight; this together with the unpredictable employment made poor law relief unsustainable.
In 1832, the government appointed a royal commission to investigate the distribution of poor law relief in a sample of 3,000 parishes either by questionnaire or visits.
A leading commissioner, later secretary of the Poor Law Commission, Edwin Chadwick believed that the system required a comprehensive reform and control from a main body in London.
He also held the belief that the existing system: "needed to be reformed in such a way as to deter people from making unnecessary demands on public funds.
The able-bodied poor became the focus of the government reforms, as Fowler explains: "the poor law regime was specifically designed to discourage the entry of such people by making conditions worse than they might expect outside and offering a variety of further petty humiliations, from uncomfortable uniforms and dull food to tedious, unending tasks...taking the guardians’ hospitality was designed to be a degrading process and none but the desperate would undergo.".
Tredegar had an existing workhouse, known as Twyn Y Ddraenen (Thornhill), situated in the centre of Queen Square.
[5] This was evident in the Welsh Coal Strike of 1889, when Adams states "a deputation of unemployed men from Abertillery and Blaina waited on the Board, asking for help.
From the beginning provision was made for educating child inmates by employing a school mistress.
[8] The building, which was designed by a Mr Humphries of Cheltenham, was completed and opened with capacity for 300 inmates in 1852.
[10] Nevertheless, the new workhouse soon became feared and hated: families who entered were separated many regarded it as a prison and discipline was harsh.
The community tried to keep ill, aged and families of those men injured at work in their homes by collections to provide money for food and rent.
[11] Around 1882, Walter Conway, who was to become the Secretary of the Tredegar Medical Aid Society (whose model helped to shape the principles of the NHS), became an inmate as a boy, after the death of his father.
[13] Soon afterwards in 1904, at the request of the local Registrar, the workhouse was named 'Ty Bryn’ to prevent the stigmatization of inmates who were born there.
The Bedwellty Union Board of Guardians decided to build cottage homes for the workhouse children to alleviate the overcrowding.
The cottages were utilised as follows: No's 1 and 2 Maternity, female and children; No's 4 and 5 male patients and dispensary and No 3 administration, housing for staff and the cook.
[20] The workhouse continued to shelter the poor and infirm until 1930 when the Bedwellty Union and its Board of Guardians were abolished.
A new operating theatre was open in 1963 will help from General Surgeon Mr. J S. McConnachie, the hospital took on acute care with surgical beds, a pathology department and dispensary service.