Poverty & Poor Law Reform in
19th Century Britain, 1834-1914
From Chadwick to Booth
By David Englander
June 1998
Pearson Education / Longman
ISBN: 0582315549
152 pages, Illustrated, 4 ¼" x 8 ½"
$36.50 Paper original
The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 is one of the most important pieces of social legislation ever enacted. Its principles and the workhouse system dominated attitudes to welfare provision for the next 80 years. This new Seminar Study explores the changing ideas to poverty over this period and assesses current debates on Victorian attitudes to the poor.
Contents
PART ONE: THE CONTEXT
1. Introduction.
PART TWO: DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS
2. Poor Law Policy in England and Wales
3. Inside the Workhouse.
4. The Poor Laws in Scotland
5. Social Inquiry and Poor Law Reform
PART THREE: ASSESSMENT
6. Problems and Prospects
PART FOUR: DOCUMENTS.
Glossary.
Guide to Main Characters.
Bibliography.
Index.
Features
• Reviews the old system of poor relief before considering the Poor
Law Amendment Act of 1834 - one of the most important pieces of social legislation
ever enacted.
• Shows how attitudes to poverty changed from being a 'natural' to a
`social' condition under the impact of industrialization, urbanization and
war.
• Contains a detailed examination of what life was really like in the
workhouse, from the design of the new establishments, to the food the inmates
ate and the problems of discipline.
• Supplemented by a wide range of fascinating primary source material
including the Report of the Royal Commission on the Poor Laws, 1834, and moving
petitions from the poor themselves.