Poor Relief - Law Commission

ates; Churchwardens and Overseers to obey the warrants of the
Guardians; penalty for refusal or neglect to levy the rates; provision for
appeal against such penalty (Sections 57 - 60)
(r) certificates of settlement given to parish officers to be delivered to the
Clerk of the Guardians; paupers may be removed within the Hundred to
their parish of settlement; expenses of removal to be borne by the parish
removing the pauper; Guardians’ books to serve as evidence of the
settlement status of the poor in the workhouse; bonds indemnifying
parishes from the costs of raising illegitimate children to remain valid and
to continue to be issued (Sections 61 - 65)
(s) fines and penalties levied under this Act to be paid to the Treasurer;
legacies, donations and voluntary contributions to be received by the
Treasurer (Sections 66 - 67)
(t) determination of contentious issues at the meetings of the Guardians;
recovery and application of penalties under this Act; Guardians and
Directors not prohibited from acting as Justices of the Peace (Sections
68-70)
(u) appeals; civil procedure matters; parishes of Bramford and Westerfield
deemed part of the Hundred for the purposes of this Act; appointment of
Overseers for those parishes; form of appointment of Overseers; all
apprenticeships made under the 1764 Act to remain valid; status of this
Act (Sections 71- 79).
5. A workhouse was built in 1766 at Barham. This workhouse was taken over by
the Bosmere and Claydon Poor Law Union in 1835. The building ceased to be used
as a workhouse in 1920 and accommodated Italian prisoners of war during the
Second World War. In 1963 the building was demolished.
6. The 1833 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.
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