Poor Relief - Law Commission

(d) Guardians to meet to appoint 24 of their number to be Directors of the
poor; appointment of treasurer and clerk; remuneration and removal of
officers
(e) Directors to purchase land not exceeding 40 acres for use as workhouse
and house of correction; workhouse and house of correction to be
operational within 2 years of such purchase; Directors to furnish
workhouse
(f) Directors authorised to make bye-laws; Directors to hold meetings
quarterly; appointment of quarterly committees to be responsible for the
care of the poor in each quarter; accounts to be settled each quarter
(g) Directors and acting Guardians authorised to borrow money (not
exceeding £8000) using the poor rates as security for the loan
(h) Directors and acting Guardians authorised to assess the amount of poor
rate necessary to repay the loan interest and capital and meet their
obligations; churchwardens and overseers required to raise the necessary
money by taxing the inhabitants of each parish, the amount of this poor
rate not to exceed the average poor rate for the previous 7 years; parish
of Yelverton deemed to be within the hundreds of Loddon and Clavering
for the purposes of this Act; delivery of books and accounts;
churchwardens to assist and obey orders of Guardians
(i) Directors authorised to grant certificates of settlement; any person
allowed to live in a parish without a settlement certificate should be
maintained by that parish without help from the Corporation
(j) appointment of governor or steward to oversee the running of the
workhouse; appointment of workhouse matron and clergyman
(k) punishment of misbehaving workhouse inmates; penalties for stealing or
receiving workhouse clothing; rewards for industrious inmates out of the
profits of their work; profits generally to be applied to reduce the poor rate
(l) penalty for thefts by workhouse officers; justices of the peace empowered
to act upon complaints by the Directors or acting Guardians; forfeitures to
be paid to the treasurer; expenses of this Act; Guardians’ expenses;
strong liquor banned from workhouse; election of Directors and
Guardians; civil procedure issues; status of Act.
5. A workhouse was duly opened in 1765 at Heckingham. It was adopted as the
workhouse for the Loddon and Clavering Union in 1836. The workhouse was closed
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