Poor Relief Act 1722 facts for kids
| Act of Parliament | |
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| Long title | An Act for Amending the Laws relating to the Settlement, Employment, and Relief of the Poor. |
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| Citation | 9 Geo. 1. c. 7 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law Revision Act 1948 |
The Poor Relief Act 1722 was an important law passed in Great Britain in 1722. It is also known by other names, like the Workhouse Test Act 1722 or Knatchbull's Act. This law aimed to change how poor people received help and support. Its full name was "An Act for Amending the Laws relating to the Settlement, Employment, and Relief of the Poor."
Contents
What Was the Poor Relief Act?
This law was created by the British Parliament. It was part of a series of laws called the English Poor Laws. These laws were designed to help people who were poor or unable to work. However, they also set strict rules for who could get help and how.
Keeping Records of Aid
The Poor Relief Act 1722 repeated an older rule from 1691. This rule said that every local area, called a parish, had to keep a special book. This book listed the names of everyone who was getting help. It also explained why they needed that help.
- Only people listed in this book were allowed to receive help.
- There were exceptions for very serious illnesses like plague or smallpox.
- Otherwise, a local judge, called a justice of the peace, had to approve the help.
Stopping False Claims
The government believed that some people were getting help unfairly. They thought people were making up reasons or lying to get money. This was making the costs for local areas go up.
- To fix this, the Act made a new rule.
- A person asking for help had to take an oath.
- This oath was to swear that their reasons for needing help were true.
How a Justice of the Peace Helped
If local officers, called overseers, or the church council (vestry) refused someone help, that person could ask a justice of the peace.
- The justice of the peace first had to call the overseer.
- They would ask why the help was refused.
- The justice then had to record any help they approved.
- This help would only continue as long as the person truly needed it.
Penalties for Officers
Local officers who gave out help without recording it could be punished.
- They would have to pay a fine of £5.
- This money would then be used to help the poor in the parish.
- The only exception was for very sudden and urgent situations.
The Workhouse System
One of the biggest changes this Act brought was about workhouses. Workhouses were places where poor people could live and work. In return for a place to stay and food, they had to work.
Creating Workhouses
The Act allowed local churchwardens and overseers to set up workhouses.
- They could buy or rent buildings for this purpose.
- They could also hire people to manage these workhouses.
- The goal was to house, feed, and employ poor people.
- The parish could then benefit from the work these people did.
Joining Forces for Workhouses
Sometimes, a single parish might not have enough money to build a workhouse.
- The Act allowed different parishes to work together.
- They could share the cost of buying a building.
- This needed approval from the local church council (vestry).
- A local justice of the peace also had to agree.
The "Workhouse Test"
The Act introduced what became known as the "Workhouse Test." This was a very strict rule.
- If a poor person was offered a place in a workhouse, they had to accept it.
- If they refused to go to the workhouse, they would lose all help.
- Their name would be removed from the list of people getting relief.
- This meant they could not ask for or receive any more help from the parish.
This rule made it very difficult for poor people to get help outside of a workhouse. It was a way to make sure only those truly desperate for help would ask for it.
