Poor Relief - Law Commission

(d) inhabitants of parish to appoint an additional overseer with an annual
salary not exceeding £100; additional overseer’s oath of office and
summary of his powers (sections 15 to 18)
(e) trustees authorised to appoint a master or mistress of the workhouse;
appointment of treasurer to pay poor-rate monies to the additional
overseer (sections 19 and 20)
(f) inspection of accounts of the additional overseer; penalty for any overseer
failing to collect poor-rates; overseers to account to treasurer for rate
monies received; penalties for defaulting overseers; protection for the
additional overseer (sections 21 to 25)
(g) records to be kept of all clothing and goods bought for the workhouse; no
parish poor officer to be involved in supplying goods or services for the
workhouse; additional overseer authorised to find employment for any
workhouse inmate (sections 26 to 28)
(h) penalties for taking, selling or buying clothing or other goods belonging to
the workhouse; penalties for misbehaviour by workhouse inmates;
rewards for industrious inmates and dutiful workhouse master or mistress;
workhouse profits to be applied in support of the poor-rates (sections 29
to 35)
(i) civil procedure issues; expenses of enactment; status of Act.
5. A workhouse was duly opened pursuant to the 1800 Act. The building was
situated at the junction of Oxford Street and South Street. Its use, however, was
short-lived for it burned down in 1819.
6. The 1800 Act has long been obsolete. It dates back to an age when relief for
the poor, and the money to pay for this, was organised on a parish basis. As
indicated in the accompanying background note, the system of parish-run poor relief
was abolished by the Local Government Act 1929. The poor law system was itself
finally abolished by the National Assistance Act 1948. The finance for providing the
income and other support previously provided by the parish is today drawn either
from funds provided by central government or raised by local government from local
taxation.
7. Accordingly the 1800 Act is obsolete and may now be repealed on that basis.
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