Timeline of the English Poor Law system facts for kids

The Poor Law system was a set of laws in England and Wales that aimed to help poor people. These laws also controlled how and where people could get help. This system started a very long time ago, in the Tudor and Elizabethan eras, and lasted until 1948.

Understanding the Poor Laws: A Timeline

Early Days: The 1300s and 1400s

In these early times, the government started making rules about poverty. They wanted to manage people who were poor or had certain illnesses.

• 1344 - A special rule, called a Royal Ordinance, said that people with leprosy (a serious skin disease) had to leave London. This was an early way to control where people lived, especially those who were seen as different.
• 1388 - The Statute of Cambridge was passed. This law tried to stop people from moving around too much. It also made it harder for people to beg for money.
• 1494 - The Vagabonds and Beggars Act 1494 became law. A "vagabond" was someone who wandered from place to place without a home or job. This act tried to control begging and homelessness.
• 1499 - There was a lot of debate in parliament about the Vagabonds and Beggars Act 1494. This shows that even back then, people had different ideas about how to help the poor.

The 1500s: First Complete Poor Relief Laws

This century saw the first big step towards a full system for helping the poor.

• 1597 - The Act for the Relief of the Poor 1597 was created. This was the first complete set of rules for helping poor people. It laid the groundwork for future laws.

The 1600s: The Old Poor Law Begins

The most famous early law, the Old Poor Law, was introduced and lasted for a very long time.

• 1601 - The Old Poor Law was passed. This law became the main way the Poor Law system worked for over 200 years, until 1834. It made local areas responsible for their own poor.
• 1662 - The Poor Relief Act 1662 was passed. This law tried to solve problems with "settlement." Settlement meant deciding which local area was responsible for a poor person. It made it harder for people to move and get help in a new place.
• 1697 - The Poor Act 1697 was passed. This law continued to refine how poor relief was managed.

The 1700s: Workhouses and New Ideas

Workhouses became a more common way to deal with poverty during this time.

• 1723 - Workhouses started to give jobs to poor people. The idea was to reduce the number of people begging on the streets by making them work for their help.
• 1782 - The Relief of the Poor Act 1782 was passed. This law, also known as Gilbert's Act, tried to make the Poor Law system more humane. It encouraged parishes to join together to build workhouses.

The 1800s: Big Changes and New Laws

This century brought major changes to the Poor Law system, including a new, stricter approach.

• 1815 - The French Wars ended. This event had a big impact on the economy and led to more poverty, especially for soldiers returning home.
• 1830 - The Swing Riots happened. These were protests by farm workers who were upset about low wages and new machines taking their jobs. This showed the government that there was a lot of unrest among poor people.
• 1832 - A special group, the Royal Commission into the Operation of the Poor Laws, began to study the Poor Law system. They wanted to find out what was working and what wasn't.
• 1834 - The Poor Law Amendment Act was passed. This was a huge change. It aimed to make the system cheaper and stricter. It encouraged workhouses and made it harder to get help outside of them.
• 1842 - The Outdoor Labour Test Order was issued. This allowed some "outdoor relief" (help given outside a workhouse) for able-bodied men. They had to do hard labor in return. This was despite the 1834 act trying to stop outdoor relief.
• 1844 - The Outdoor Relief Prohibitory Order was issued. This order tried even harder to stop outdoor relief for able-bodied people. It pushed more people into workhouses.
• 1847 - The Poor Law Commission was ended. A new group, the Poor Law Board, took over its responsibilities.
• 1848 - The Huddersfield workhouse scandal occurred. This event highlighted problems and harsh conditions in some workhouses, leading to public concern.
• 1865 - The Union Chargeability Act 1865 was passed. This law changed how the costs of poor relief were shared among different areas. It made larger areas, called "unions," responsible for the costs.
• 1867 - The Second Reform Act was passed. This law gave more men the right to vote, including many working-class men. This meant that the voices of ordinary people had more influence in politics.
• 1871 - The Local Government Board took over the powers of the Poor Law Board. This was another step in how the government managed poor relief and local services.

The 1900s: Welfare Reforms and Abolition

The 20th century saw the end of the old Poor Law system and the start of modern welfare.

• 1905 - A new Royal Commission on the Poor Laws and Relief of Distress 1905-09 was set up. This group looked closely at the Poor Laws and suggested big changes.
• 1906 - The Liberal Government was elected. They started many new welfare reforms. These reforms included things like old-age pensions and national insurance, which were new ways to help people.
• 1909 - The Minority report was published. This report, written by social reformers, strongly argued for getting rid of the Poor Law system entirely. They believed it was outdated and harmful.
• 1929 - The workhouse system was officially ended by the Local Government Act 1929. This was a major step away from the old Poor Law approach.
• 1948 - The Poor Law system was completely abolished by the National Assistance Act 1948. This act replaced the old system with a new, more modern welfare state, offering help to all citizens in need.