Scottish poor laws
The Scottish poor laws were the statutes concerning
In 1579, the
In 1843, a commission of inquiry was set up to suggest improvements to the Scottish poor law system. Proposals suggested included:
- Setting up a board of supervision and parochial boards[5]
- The levying of a poor rate[6]
- Joint poorhouses in urban areas[7]
- An Inspector of the Poor who could examine requests for relief.[8]
Scottish Poor Law Act
After the Act of Union, Scotland retained its distinct legal system and the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 was not applied to Scotland. As in England, it was necessary to reform the poor laws. A commission of inquiry was established in 1843 to determine system reform. This resulted in the Poor Law (Scotland) Act 1845 being passed. This act established parochial boards in parishes and towns and a central Board of Supervision in Edinburgh.[9]
In Scotland the able-bodied poor had no automatic right to poor relief as in England. The Poor Law (Scotland) Act 1845 created a central Board of Supervision which had the ability to raise local
The Archives and Special Collections at the Mitchell Library in Glasgow hold more than 1,000,000 applications for poor relief made by residents of Glasgow and the west of Scotland. These records can prove extremely useful for the family historian, and contain detailed notes and information about the applicants, their families and life.[11]
See also
References
- ^ "Workhouse - the Story of Workhouses". users.ox.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 17 February 2001. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
- ^ "Workhouse - the Story of Workhouses". users.ox.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 17 February 2001. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
- ^ "British social policy 1601-1948". Archived from the original on 20 July 2007. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
- ^ In Scotland the more common term for a workhouse was "poorhouse"
- ^ "Workhouse - the Story of Workhouses". users.ox.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 17 February 2001. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
- ^ "Workhouse - the Story of Workhouses". users.ox.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 17 February 2001. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
- ^ "Workhouse - the Story of Workhouses". users.ox.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 17 February 2001. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
- ^ "Workhouse - the Story of Workhouses". users.ox.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 17 February 2001. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
- ^ "Knowledge Base - The Poor Law in Scotland After 1845". Scan.org.uk. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
- ^ BBC - History - Beneath the Surface: A Country of Two Nations
- ^ Video Interview at the Mitchell Library with Dr. Irene O'Brien, showing an example of a poor law application (February 2008)