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Despite the aspirations of the reformers, the New Poor Law was unable to make the Workhouse as bad as life outside. The primary problem was that in order to make the diet of the workhouse inmates "less eligible" than what they could expect outside, it would be necessary to starve the inmates beyond an acceptable level. [69]
The Relief of the Poor Act 1782 (22 Geo. 3. c. c. 83), also known as Gilbert's Act , [ 1 ] was a British poor relief law proposed by Thomas Gilbert which aimed to organise poor relief on a county basis, counties being organised into parishes which could set up poorhouses or workhouses between them. [ 2 ]
The New Poor Law of 1834 attempted to reverse the economic trend by discouraging the provision of relief to anyone who refused to enter a workhouse. Some Poor Law authorities hoped to run workhouses at a profit by utilising the free labour of their inmates.
Boards administered workhouses within a defined poor law union consisting of a group of parishes, either by order of the Poor Law Commission, or by the common consent of the parishes. Once a union was established it could not be dissolved or merged with a neighbouring union without the consent of its board.
The Act stated that if a pauper had not left a workhouse in the past month then it was possible to detain him for 24 hours after he had given notice that he wished to leave, however the period of detention increased for the inmates who left more than twice in the past two months could be detained for 72 hours.
The New Poor Law Board had a sitting President, usually a Cabinet Minister, so that the Board could be both accountable to Parliament and more responsive to its wishes. The Local Government Board took over the role of the Poor Law Board after the passing of the Second Great Reform Act.
1842 - Outdoor Labour Test Order allows outdoor relief despite the Poor Law Amendment Act's ban on it; 1844 - Outdoor Relief Prohibitory Order issued to further discourage outdoor relief; 1847 - The Poor Law Commission is abolished and replaced by the Poor Law Board; 1848 - The Huddersfield workhouse scandal occurs. 1865 - The Union ...
The Poor Relief Act 1722 [1] (9 Geo. 1. c. 7), also known as the Workhouse Test Act 1722, Workhouse Test Act 1723 or Knatchbull's Act, was an Act of Parliament passed by the Parliament of Great Britain. [2] [3] It was titled "An Act for Amending the Laws relating to the Settlement, Employment, and Relief of the Poor". [4]