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Poor Houses, Poor Law information for St Ive and places above it in the hierarchy

St Ive

  • St Ive parish was part of the Liskeard Union for Poor Law administration and parish relief.
  • Overseers' Accounts (1818 to 1835) are available in the Cornwall Record Office.
  • Some Bastardy Bonds for St Ive parish are also available on-line.

Cornwall

  • Poor Law Administration. The Overseer of the Poor [was] an honorary parochial post. Before the Reformation the care of the poor was the responsibility of the Church, i.e. of the monasteries and the parish clergy. In fact, one third of the parson's tithes were intended to be given by him to the poor. An Act of 1572 created Alms Collectors and Supervisors of the Labour of Rogues and Vagabonds in each parish. People who would not give alms voluntarily could be compulsorily assessed. In 1597 the two offices were combined under the title of Overseer of the Poor, an official whose appointment required the approval of the Justice of the Peace. By the Great Poor Law Act of 1601, churchwardens became ex-officio Overseers of the Poor, together with those approved by the Justices of the Peace. One of the number was appointed executive officer of the Overseers and looked after the funds raised by the parochial rates. From 1691, the Overseer was obliged to keep records of his disbursements and distribution of clothing, etc. His rate books list the sums collected from parishioners according to the value of their properties. In 1772 an Act was passed enabling parishes to buy or rent premises for workhouses, and to employ a workhouse-keeper. From 1790, such workhouses had to submit to inspection by Justices of the Peace. In 1834, parochial responsibility for the poor was ended. Parishes were amalgamated for such purposes into Poor Law Unions, governed by elected Poor Law Guardians with a property qualification. At national level the system was controlled by Poor Law Commissioners.[Dictionary of Genealogy by Terrick Fitzhugh].
    A definition of Overseers of the Poor Accounts is available from the South West Heritage Trust Devon webpages.
    In the latter stages of the Workhouses, there was increasing tendency to support those who could not look after themselves for medical reasons; the Workhouse gradually became an early form of the modern hospital.
  • Union Workhouses. The Poor Law Union arrangements in Cornwall were based upon a union of parishes to support a Workhouse and provide other means of support; these arrangements were quite complex. There were 15 Poor Law Unions (PLUs) established within the county. They were: St Austell, Bodmin, Camelford, St Columb Major, Falmouth, St Germans, Helston, Launceston, Liskeard, (Padstow), Penzance, Redruth, (Isles of Scilly), Stratton and Truro. Each Poor Law Union established a Workhouse to provide indoor relief for the poor. The records for these are held by Kresen Kernow.
  • Poor Law Information.
  • Poor Law Bastardy Papers. Bastardy Bonds/Agreements determined which adult male was to support a child. Where a child was without parents, the parish would try and find an apprenticeship for them to relieve the burden on the parish funds. These bonds can date from 1601 to 1834.
    The Poor Law system changed in 1834 when the Poor Law Unions were created. After 1834, bastardy cases were mainly dealt with at Quarter Sessions. After 1839, they were heard in Petty Sessions Courts.
    All DEPOSITED bastardy documents have been indexed. There may be some still held in the parishes.
    Trying to find details of bastardy cases after 1839 is difficult. Bastardy bonds and other parish bastardy documents ceased to be used after 1834 when the Poor Law Unions were created. From 1834 to 1839 the Workhouse administrators initiated bastardy proceedings through the Petty and Quarter Sessions Courts, and from 1839 all bastardy cases were heard at Petty Sessions, and were initiated by the mother who had to produce corroborative evidence to convict the putative father.
  • Paupers. A pauper was someone who was unable to support themself for financial reasons. Not all were necessarily taken into a Workhouse; some, who may have been able to live with family, were provided with funds on a periodic basis. An index to "Paupers in Workhouses 1861" (10% sample) is available on-line.

England

UK and Ireland

  • Peter Higginbotham's comprehensive The Workhouse website provides a wealth of information about Workhouses, the Poor Law and related issues.catalogue
  • If you are looking for someone who was in a workhouse, it is worth checking if they also appear in the Quarter Sessions records, held in County Record Offices - see the British Library's Discovery catalogue (use Advanced Search and select "Search Other Archives"). 
  • You can search and freely download documents of a number of Poor Law Unions across England and Wales from TNA.
  • Settlement Examinations in England and Wales - a detailed explanation, from LDS Familysearch, based on an article by Anthony Camp.