Poor Law policy after the New Poor Law facts for kids

The Poor Law was a system in England and Wales that aimed to help poor people. This article looks at how the Poor Law worked from around 1847 to 1900. This was after a big change called the Poor Law Amendment Act and before the system started to fade away in the early 1900s.

How the Poor Law Was Managed

The group in charge of the Poor Law, called the Poor Law Commission, was shut down. This happened after a problem at the Andover workhouse. There were disagreements among the people running the Commission. Because of this, the way the system was managed centrally needed to change.

A new group, the Poor Law Board, was created. It had a President, who was usually a government minister. This meant the Board had to answer to Parliament and could react more quickly to what Parliament wanted. Later, the Local Government Board took over from the Poor Law Board. This happened after the Second Great Reform Act. This Act allowed more people to vote. Because more people could vote, Parliament became more interested in helping those in need.

The Cost of Helping People

During this time, the money spent on the Poor Law system actually went down. A law called the Union Chargeability Act was passed. This law made each local area, called a parish, contribute money to a central fund for helping the poor.

Most of the people in charge of the Poor Law, called Poor Law Guardians, were from the middle class. They tried to keep the costs of helping the poor as low as possible. This often meant giving "outdoor relief" (help given outside a workhouse) instead of building expensive workhouses.

Help Given Outside Workhouses

Even though the Poor Law Commission tried to limit it, the number of people getting outdoor relief actually went up. The Outdoor Relief Prohibitory Order was issued to remind everyone that healthy people should not get outdoor relief. The Outdoor Labour Test Order meant that poor people in the North of England had to do hard, boring work to get outdoor relief.

In 1863, American crops failed, which meant more people became poor. The government then passed temporary rules that allowed outdoor relief. The Local Government Board also encouraged local areas to limit outdoor relief.

Making Conditions Better

Between the time the Poor Law Amendment Act was passed and the early 1900s, the way poor people were treated became kinder. From the 1870s, it was thought better for older people to get outdoor relief.

In 1860, the care for sick poor people also got better. Hospitals were separated from workhouses. By 1834, poor children living in workhouses received an education. Eventually, schools were built away from the workhouse buildings.