Poor Relief - Law Commission

(p) special provisions to apply to the hamlet of Sandford parts of which,
although falling within the parish of Crediton, were many miles away from
the town of Crediton; Corporation’s powers under this Act not to extend to
Sandford; authority for those Governors living in Sandford to build a
hospital, workhouse or house of correction in Sandford, and to administer
the running of such buildings; provisions for charging and collecting the
poor rate from the inhabitants of Sandford; penalties for non-payment
and appeals; other provisions analogous to those in this Act relating to
Crediton generally
(q) provision in event of any justice of the peace neglecting their duties
under this Act.
4. Workhouses at both Crediton and Sandford were indeed built pursuant to the
1697 Act. Parish records indicate that both had been built by around 1700. A
Parliamentary report of 1777 23 recorded that parish workhouses continued to operate
in both Crediton and Sandford (for up to 90 and 60 inmates respectively). However it
seems probable that both workhouses closed in consequence of the Crediton Poor
Law Union which came into existence in April 1836. That resulted in the building of a
new union workhouse on a site to the west of Crediton. Designed to hold 300
inmates, this new workhouse superseded the existing workhouses in neighbouring
parishes including Crediton and Sandford.
5. The 1697 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.
6. Accordingly the 1697 Act is obsolete and may now be repealed on that basis.
Extent
7. The provisions proposed for repeal had no effect outside Devon.
23
Report from the Committee appointed to inspect and consider the returns made by the Overseers of
the Poor, 15 May 1777.
8