POOR’S RATE. 
parishioners within themselves, or in de- 
fault thereof, by the churchwardens and 
petty constables, or by an order of the jus- 
tices of the peace : and if any person re- 
fused or neglected to pay the portion of 
money so taxed, it might be levied by dis- 
tress, and in default thereof, the person 
to be committed to prison till the money 
■was paid. Tn this mode, or with very lit- 
tle variation, the poor’s-rate has continued 
to be annally levied, but, as from the in- 
crease 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 progressively advanced to a 
very important magnitude. 
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 665,3621. 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 re- 
spect 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 ex- 
isting laws relative to tlie maintenance and 
settlement of tlie poor, and what further 
provisions might be necessary for their bet- 
ter relief and employment. The commit- 
tee came to several resolutions, which were 
agreed to by the house ; the most impor- 
tant were, “ that the laws in being, relating 
to the maintenance of the poor of this king- 
dom are defective; and, notwithstanding 
they impose heavy burdens on parishes, 
yet the poor, in most of them, are ill taken 
care of:” and, that it was 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 parishes 
or places in England and Wales, from which 
it appeared, that the aggregate sum ex- 
pended was 1,530,8041. 6s. 3d. and that 
there were then 1970 workhouses, 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 ob- 
tained from 14,240 parishes or places, and 
the total was found to have increased in 
the short period of ten years lo 2,004,2381. 
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 an- 
swers and returns made pursuant thereto, 
the following particulars are derived. 
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, incur- 
red therein, amounted to i ,016,4451. 15s. 
3d. being at the rate of 121. 3s. 6^d. for 
each person maintained in that manner. 
The number of persons relieved out of 
workliouses was 956,248, besides 194,052, 
who were not parishioners. The expense, 
incurred in the relief of the poor not in 
workhouses, amounted to 3,061,4461. 16s. 
lOid. 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 19,4051. 4s. 
This sum being deducted from the above 
3,061,4461. 16s. lOjd. leaves 3,042,0411. 
12s. 10|d. being at the rate of 31. 3s. 7di. 
for each parishioner relieved 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 8,872,930, the number of pa- 
rishioners relieved from the poor’s rate ap- 
pears to be twelve in a hundred of the 
resident population. 
The expenditure, in suits of law, removal 
of paupers, and expenses of overseers and 
other officers, amounted to 190,0721, 17s. id. 
and the sum expended in purchasing mate- 
rials for employing the poor to 47,5231. 
11s. 4id. 
The poor of 293 parishes are stated in 
the returns to be farmed, or maintained un- 
der contract; and the poor of 764 parishes 
are maintained and employed under the re- 
gulations of special acts of parliament. 
The total sum, raised by the poor’s rate, 
and other parochial rates within the year, 
ending Easter 1 803, was 5,348,2051. 9s. 3|d. 
The average rate in the pound was, in En- 
gland 4s. 4id. and in Wales 7s. l-id. the 
average of England and Waleg 4s. 5id, 
