What was the Old Poor Law?

Britain – Poverty and Pauperism, 1800-1870

In this course, Professor Henry French (University of Exeter) discusses poverty and pauperism from 1800 to 1870. In the first module, we look at what the Old Poor Law was. Then, we look at why there was a crisis in the Old Poor Law System. After this, we look at the origins of the New Poor Law. Following this, we look at how the New Poor Law was implemented. Finally, we look at the effects of the New Poor Law.

What was the Old Poor Law?

In this module, we look at what the Old Poor Law was. In particular, we focus on the key questions: (i) What was the Elizabethan Poor Law, and when was it established?; (ii) How were parishes organized to administer poor relief?; (iii) How did the Poor Law distinguish between the "deserving" and "undeserving" poor?; (iv) What were the challenges in implementing the Poor Law across different regions?; and (v) How did the administration of poor relief evolve over time?