Poor Relief - Law Commission

(o) Overseers of the Poor to execute the warrants and orders of the Directors
and Commissioners; on failure of the Overseers to pay the money
collected the inhabitants of the parish to be responsible for paying on
reassessment (Sections 56 - 57)
(p) accounts to be made up and balanced by 1 October 1825; accounts to be
kept by officers of the Guardians; Guardians may appoint any three of
their number to be auditors or accountants; auditors to be remunerated;
Directors to submit an extract of the accounts and reports to the Quarter
Sessions; all officers in receipt of money raised under this Act shall render
an account of the money received and to what uses it was paid; penalty
on officers for failure to do so (Sections 58 - 63)
(q) lawful for the Guardians to compound debts; all the lawful rules and
orders of the previous corporation to remain in force until they are
repealed or amended; record of all mortgages and transfers to be kept;
minutes to be kept of all proceedings of the Directors and Guardians
(Sections 64 - 67)
(r) recovery of penalties levied under this Act; summoning of witnesses to
give evidence on any matter touching this Act; penalty for failure to attend
summons; offenders to be prosecuted; civil procedure issues; provision
for appeals; inhabitants of the United District to be competent witnesses
(Sections 68 – 74)
(s) expenses and status of this Act (Sections 75 – 76).
5. A workhouse/house of industry was opened in March 1795 near Forden. 133 In
1870 the Guardians were replaced by the Forden Poor Law Union who continued to
use the Forden workhouse. The workhouse later became Brynhyfryd Hospital
providing care for the elderly. The site is now used as a yoga and meditation centre.
6. The 1825 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
133 Forden is near Welshpool.
138