Board of guardians facts for kids

Boards of Guardians were special groups of people in the United Kingdom. They were in charge of helping poor people from 1835 to 1930. They managed what was called the "Poor Law," which was a system to support those who couldn't support themselves.

Helping People in England and Wales

Boards of Guardians were created in England and Wales. This happened because of a new law in 1834 called the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834. They took over from older local officials who used to help the poor. These new boards managed workhouses. Workhouses were places where poor people could live and work. Each board looked after a "poor law union," which was a group of local areas called parishes.

Each board had guardians who were chosen by local people. These people owned or lived on land and paid a special tax called the "poor rate." How many votes someone had depended on the value of their property. They could have one, two, or three votes. If they couldn't vote themselves, they could send someone else to vote for them. If a company owned property, they could choose an officer to cast their votes.

Every local area (parish) in the union had at least one guardian. Larger areas or those with special needs had more. The rules for each board were set by a central group called the Poor Law Commission.

Guardians were elected every year. Also, any local judge (justice of the peace) living in the union could automatically be a guardian.

For a long time, it was not clear if women could be elected. In 1875, Martha Merington became a candidate for the Kensington Board of Guardians. She won the election. Her election was allowed, even though many people were against it. Later, in 1879, she was disqualified. This happened because she was moving house on election day. It was unclear if she met the property rules at that exact moment. In another town, Bertha Mason was the first woman elected to her local board. She served until 1904.

Later, in 1894, a new law changed things. People who were elected to new local councils in the countryside automatically became guardians. This meant poor law elections only happened in towns. Also, people no longer needed to own property to vote or be a guardian. Everyone had one vote, and women could definitely become guardians. Guardians served for three years. All guardians were elected. There were no more automatic or appointed members. However, boards could choose a chairman, vice-chairman, and up to two other members from outside the board. These people had to be qualified to be a guardian.

Boards of Guardians were finally stopped in 1930. This was due to the Local Government Act 1929. Their duties and powers were then given to local and national government groups. These included new groups called Public Assistance Committees.

Helping People in Ireland

A similar system for helping the poor started in Ireland in 1838. Boards of guardians were elected by people who paid local taxes. The Irish system was a bit different from England and Wales. Instead of using parishes, they created "electoral divisions." These were made by joining smaller areas called townlands. There had to be at least three elected guardians for every one automatic guardian. If there were too many judges who could be automatic guardians, they held an election among themselves.

After Ireland was divided in 1922, the guardians were stopped in the Irish Free State in 1925. New County Boards of Health took their place. Guardians continued to exist in Northern Ireland until 1948.

Helping People in Scotland

Scotland had a different system for helping the poor. It started in 1845. In Scotland, local boards in each parish were responsible for helping the poor. Boards of Guardians were not created there. However, nearby parishes could join together. They formed "combinations" to manage workhouses.

Images for kids

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  Workhouse ruin near Cahirciveen.