Statute Law Repeals - Law Commission - Ministry of Justice

8.53 In the event the directors used the 1796 Act not to build a new workhouse but to
purchase an existing workhouse. This in turn was exchanged for a new
workhouse in 1838 following the formation of the Lincoln Poor Law Union in
1836. The original workhouse was sold and the buildings demolished in 1839.
The 1796 Act became unnecessary in 1930 at the latest when the Local
Government Act 1929, abolishing parish-run poor relief, came into force.
Samford Poor Relief Act of 1799
8.54 The Samford Poor Relief Act of 1799 54 was passed to provide relief for the poor
living in the ancient hundred of Samford, Suffolk. 55 The 1799 Act appointed
guardians of the poor and directors with power to enlarge the existing workhouse,
set the local poor to work in any trade or occupation and to levy rates to meet the
costs arising under the Act.
8.55 The existing workhouse in Samford, built in 1766, continued in use into the 20 th
century, by which time it had become known as the Samford Poor Law Institution.
The abolition of parish-run poor relief by the Local Government Act 1929 resulted
in the Institution being converted to use as a hospital in 1930. 56 At that point the
1799 Act ceased to serve any useful purpose.
Aldbourne Workhouse and Overseers Act of 1800
8.56 According to its long title, the purpose of the Aldbourne Workhouse and
Overseers Act of 1800 57 was to provide a workhouse for the parish of Aldbourne
in Wiltshire and to appoint an additional overseer to supervise the poor of that
parish. 58 The 1800 Act accordingly appointed trustees to purchase land and build
a workhouse, with powers to levy rates to meet their expenses under the Act. The
Act also authorised the appointment of an additional overseer at an annual salary
not exceeding £100.
8.57 A workhouse was duly opened in accordance with the 1800 Act, situated at the
junction of Oxford Street and South Street. Its useful life was limited, however, for
it burned down in 1819 and was not replaced. The useful life of the 1800 Act itself
has also ended, following the abolition of parish-run poor relief by the Local
Government Act 1929.
54 39 Geo.3 c.xlii.
55 The “hundred” is an ancient description of groups of townships in English counties. The
hundred of Samford was an area comprising 28 parishes between modern-day Ipswich
and Manningtree.
56 The buildings were developed for residential use in 2001.
57 39 & 40 Geo.3 c.xlviii.
58 An overseer was a parish official whose function it was to collect poor-rates from the
inhabitants of the parish. Outside London, overseers were abolished by the Rating and
Valuation Act 1925, ss 1(2), 68(1).
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