Genealogy Chat

Can someone tell me what a poor law officer did. Thanks Jane

He was the overseer of the Poor Law, which was started by Henry Vlll in 1572. Originally it was intended that poor relief was funded by voluntary contributions, but this did not produce sufficient income, so an act of 1597/8 levied a poor rate on parish householders to finance the expenditure of the poor. The Poor Law Act of 1601 remained in force until 1834. Ros

Ros Thanks for your help. On Charles Chorley marriage certificate in 1893 he was described as being a poor Law officer. Excuse my ignorance but is this the same as the relieving officer who decided whether a person was entitled to help and what help they could get. ??? Jane

Been trying to find you an answer to that one, and they really only mention relieving officers and overseers who collected the poor rates. It might be worth trying to have a look at the records of the poor law unions for the area in question to see if his name is there and that would hopefully show which role he had. Local CRO's have the records since 1834 and also the PRO (National Archives). There are also some guides to the poor law unions of England and Wales by Gibson. My bible is "Ancestral Trails" by Mark Herber, it's hefty tome, costing £20, but with a lot of information in one volume. Ros

Thanks for that Ros Guess i will have to continue looking. Thanks for the pointers without your help i don't think i would know where to start. Jane

Don't know whether this will help or not - but it's quite amusing anyway! I am personally undertaking a project in my village, recording the memories of the older generation. One of my interviewees told me that his father was on the Board of Guardians. He said, "Under the Poor Act, in those days, every area had a Board of Guardians, and it was their job to look after the poor. One particular lady had had a baby and she needed help, you see, so she had to appear before the Guardians. They said, 'Well, what about the father? Who's the father, what about him?' She said, 'Well, I don't know'. They said, 'What do you mean, you don't know?' And she said, 'Well, look. If you fell into a bed of stinging nettles, you wouldn't know which one stung you!' My father said how they all managed not to fall out of their chairs laughing he didnt know!" See what I mean?! Janet East Northamptonshire

Hi Janet thanks for that. What a laugh i would have been killing myself if i had been on the board. Jane