SECT. VII.-POOR. 
According to Dr. Nash, the poor’s rates, in the 
year 1776, throughout this county, amounted to 
26,9061, 7s. 5d. and which, by the same authority, was 
less than 2s. in the pound upon the then rental of the 
county. 
Respecting the labouring poor who maintain them¬ 
selves, Mr. Darke observes, our labourers are well fed 
and provided for; without these are made comfortable, 
our land would be of little value. 
The sums raised by poor’s rates, are detailed in 
Chap. IV. Sect. 4 ; and supposed now to amount an¬ 
nually to about 90 , 0001 .; being 3s. in the pound upon 
the full actual value, and about from 12s. to 13s. per 
head, on the whole population. Mr. Carpenter informed 
me, that the poor’s rates of Bromsgrove, about the middle 
of the last century, were only 3001. per annum; in 
1801, they amounted to 60001. but are now settled to 
about 35001. per annum : the parish contains 12,000 
acres old, and 2000 new enclosure, and about 6000 
inhabitants. Very little of the poor’s rate is received 
by farm labourers, or the landed interest; it princi¬ 
pally goes to the support of manufacturers. 
Mr. Carpenter thinks, the poor are much the best 
and cheapest provided for in small parishes; and that, 
in large parishes, it is much the best for each hamlet, or 
division, to provide for their poor separately, their 
wants being thus much better known, and easier re¬ 
dressed ; also that the custom of appointing every year 
fresh overseers is very defective ; by the time they have 
acquired some knowledge of the business, their time of 
office is expired. Large parishes, he says, should ei¬ 
ther be divided, or a proper standing overseer ap¬ 
pointed. 
