POOR'S RATE. 



be bound to provide for its own poor, 

 and that overseers of the poor should 

 be annually appointed, who, with 

 the church wardens, should raise, by a 

 parish rate, competent suras for this 

 purpose : the mode in which the assess- 

 ment was directed to be made was, 

 that the justices of the peace of every 

 county or place corporate, or the ma- 

 jor part of them, at the general ses- 

 'sions to be held after Easter following 1 , 

 and so yearly, as often as they should 

 think fit, should rate every parish to such 

 a weekly sum of money as they should 

 think convenient ; which sum, so taxed, 

 was to be yearly assessed by an agree- 

 ment of the parishioners within them- 

 selves, or in default thereof, by the 

 churchwardens and petty constables, or 

 by an order of the justices of the peace : 

 and if any person refused or neglected 

 to pay the portion of money so taxed, 

 it might be levied by distress, and in 

 default thereof, the person to be com- 

 mitted to prison till the money was 

 paid. In this mode, or with very little 

 -variation, the poor's-rate has continued 

 to be annually levied ; but as, from the 

 increase of population, the advanced 

 price of all the necessaries of life, and 

 other causes, the number of the poor 

 has been greatly augmented, the sum 

 raised for their support has progressive- 

 ly advanced to a very important magni- 

 tude. 



According to an estimate, published by 

 Dr. Davenant, of the sum raised by the 

 poor's rate in, England and Wales, in the 

 latter part of the reign of Charles II. it 

 amounted to 665,362/. As the number of 

 the poor increased, it not only became ne- 

 cessary to raise a greater sum for their 

 maintenance, but new cases arose with 

 respect to the claims of individuals to this 

 kind of relief, in consequence of which va- 

 rious acts were passed for explaining and 

 amending the laws for the relief of the 

 poor. In 1735, the House of Commons 

 appointed a committee to consider of the 

 existing laws relative to the maintenance 

 and settlement of the poor, and what fur- 

 ther provisions might be necessary for 

 their better relief and employment. The 

 committee came to several resolutions, 

 which were agreed to by the house ; the 

 most important were, " that the laws in 

 being, relating to the maintenance of the 

 poor of this kingdom are defective ; and, 

 notwithstanding they impose heavy bur- 

 dens on parishes, yet the poor, in most of 

 them, are ill taken care of:" and, that it 

 is very expedient, that the laws relating 



to the poor should be reduced into one 

 act of parliament. 



In 1776, a return was ordered to be 

 made to parliament, of the total expendi- 

 ture on account of the poor, for one year, 

 ending at Easter ; pursuant to which, ac- 

 counts were received from 14,113 pa- 

 rishes, or places, in England and Wales, 

 from which it appeared, that the aggre- 

 gate sum expended was 1,530,804/. 6s. 3d. 

 and that there were then 1970 work- 

 houses, capable of accommodating 89,775 

 persons. In 1786, a return was again 

 ordered to be made, of the average annual 

 expenditure of the three preceding years, 

 when accounts were obtained from 14,240 

 parishes, or places, and the total was 

 found to have increased, in the short pe- 

 riod of ten years, to 2,004,238/. 5s. lid. 

 since which time, a still greater increase 

 has taken place. 



In the year 1803, an act was passed for 

 procuring returns relative to the expense 

 and maintenance of the poor ; from the 

 answers and returns made pursuant 

 thereto, the following particulars are de- 

 rived. 



Out of 14,611 parishes and places from 

 which accounts were received, 3765 pa- 

 rishes maintain all, or part of, their poor 

 in workhouses. The number of persons 

 so maintained during the year, ending 

 Easter 1803, was 83,468; and the expense 

 incurred therein, amounted to 1,016,445/, 

 15*. 3d. being at the rate of 12/. 3s. 6| d. 

 for each person maintained in that man- 

 ner. 



The number of persons relieved out of 

 workhouses was 956,248, besides 194,052, 

 who were not parishioners. The expense, 

 incurred in the relief of the poor, not in 

 workhouses, amounted to 3,061;446/. 16*. 

 10%d. A large proportion .of those, who 

 were not parishioners, appear to have 

 been vagrants, and it is probable, that the 

 relief given to this class of poor could not 

 exceed two shillings each, amounting to 

 19,405/. 4s. This sum being deducted 

 from the above 3,061,446/. 16s. 10 : W- 

 leaves 3,042,04U 12s. 10 %d. being at the 

 rate of 3/. 3s. 7$d for each parishioner re- 

 lieved out of any workhouse. 



The number of persons relieved in and 

 out of workhouses, was 1,039,716, and as 

 the resident population of England and 

 Wales, in the year 1801, appeared from 

 the returns made under the population 

 act to have been 8,872,980, the number 

 of parishioners relieved from the poor's 

 rate appears to be twelve in a hundred of 

 the resident population. 



