The workhouse in Heckingham, designed to support the twin hundreds of Loddon & Clavering, was one of the few in the country to be established prior to the national set-up that occurred in 1835. The workhouse was actually within the parish of Hales and was the first amalgamated workhouse in the land formed under the  terms of 'An Act for the better relief and employment of the poor in the hundreds of Loddon and Clavering', 4 George III, cap. 90, 1764. The workhouse was built in 1764 on an "H"-plan of two storeys in red brick to support the poor of no fewer than 41 parishes across this area of southeastern Norfolk. Whilst the majority of its baptisms were for single mothers, it is clear that many couples choose to have their babies in the workhouse, a place of superior medial facility than in many a village at that date. As with many such workhouse buildings the workhouse eventually was reconstituted as a local hospital, at Pevsner's visit the main H-block was largely disused. Surviving baptism records come from a single volume commenced in 1825, a standard un-numbered register book in the style of a typical parish baptismal register. This register is filmed on Microfilm MF/X/522 in the collection of Norfolk Record Office and which was used to prepare this transcript. As can be seen the concept of numbering entries was not always followed becoming sporadic in mid-register before resuming later on. The film, being a high magnitude "skinny" film. was a tricky read with faint images and the distinct possibility of accidental misread as a consequence.