Poor Law (Scotland) Act 1845 facts for kids
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| Long title | An Act for the Amendment and better Administration of the Laws relating to the Relief of the Poor in Scotland. |
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| Citation | 8 & 9 Vict. c. 83 |
| Territorial extent | Scotland |
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Status: Repealed
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| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
The Poor Law (Scotland) Act 1845 was an important law passed in the United Kingdom. It changed how Scotland helped people who were poor or in need. Before this Act, the system for helping the poor was quite old and needed updates. This new law aimed to make things fairer and more organized across Scotland.
New Ways to Help the Poor
The Poor Law (Scotland) Act 1845 brought in several big changes to how poor people were supported. Here are the main parts of the new law:
- A New Watchdog: The Act created a new group called the Board of Supervision. Think of them as a central team that watched over the whole system. Their job was to make sure the new poor laws were followed correctly everywhere in Scotland. They helped keep things fair and consistent.
- Local Boards in Charge: The Act kept the idea of local communities helping their own people. A parish is like a local district or community. Each parish now had a group called a Parochial Board. These local boards were in charge of helping the poor people in their specific area.
- Raising Money Locally: To help those in need, the Parochial Boards were given the power to collect money. They could raise taxes from people in their parish. This money was then used to provide support and relief to the poor.
- Different Kinds of Help: The law allowed for two main ways to help people. One was called outdoor relief. This meant giving help to people in their own homes, like money or food. The other way was building poorhouses. These were places where people could live if they needed a lot of care, especially if they were sick.
- Sharing Poorhouses: The Act encouraged different parishes to work together. They could join forces to build poorhouses. This made it easier and more efficient to create these places for people who needed them.
- Deciding Who Gets Help: A new role was created called the Inspector of the Poor. This person's job was to check if applications for help were real and if people truly needed support. They made sure the help went to those who genuinely qualified.
See also
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Poor Law (Scotland) Act 1845 Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.