Poor Relief - Law Commission

security of the poor rates and of bonds of £100 each; manner of paying off
such bonds; Directors and Guardians empowered to levy poor rates in the
event of the churchwardens and overseers failing to do so; keeping
records of bonds and of bond assignments; gifts for the poor to be
payable to the treasurer (sections 20 to 25)
(e) Directors and Guardians authorised to make bye-laws for giving effect to
the purposes of this Act; procedure for making bye-laws; parish officers
required to assist in the execution of this Act; Directors and Guardians
empowered to arrange for the apprehension of vagrants for despatch to
the workhouse; penalty for any workhouse inmate stealing or damaging
workhouse property; penalty for any officer stealing property vested in the
Directors and Guardians; no strong liquor to be brought into the
workhouse; rewards for industrious workhouse inmates; penalty for
misbehaviour by inmates (sections 26 to 35)
(f) parish officers allowed to pay money to poor people to provide relief for
one-off purposes; treasurer to pay over money as ordered by the
Directors and Guardians; penalty for defaulting overseers; removal of
poor persons between parishes; bonds indemnifying the parishes from the
costs of illegitimate children (sections 36 to 39)
(g) all contracts and proceedings to be recorded in writing; justices of the
peace authorised to act upon a complaint by any Director or Guardian;
such justices not disqualified by virtue of being Directors, Guardians or
ratepayers; ratepayers competent to give evidence; penalties to be paid to
the treasurer; recovery and application of penalties; civil and criminal
procedure issues; expenses and status of this Act (sections 40 to 52).
5. The Stone workhouse was duly built in 1793 in Stafford Road, Stone. In 1838
the Stone Poor Law Union was established. The Union took over the Stone
workhouse and enlarged it in 1839 to accommodate 300 people. The workhouse
later became the Stone Poor Law Institution before being renamed as Trent Hospital
as part of the National Health Service. The hospital closed in the 1990s and the site
has since been redeveloped.
6. The 1792 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
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