The following article presents a timeline of the poor law system in England from its origins in the Tudor and Elizabethan era to its abolition in 1948.
1300s 1344 - Royal Ordinance stated that lepers should leave London. 1388 - Statute of Cambridge passed.
1400s 1494 - Vagabonds and Beggars Act 1494 was passed. 1499 - Vagabonds and Beggars Act 1494 was disputed in parliament.
1500s 1597 - The Act for the Relief of the Poor 1597 provides the first complete code of Poor Relief
1600s 1601 - Old Poor Law passed. This would remain the basis of the Poor Law system until 1834 1662 - Poor Relief Act 1662 passed to deal with the problems of settlement 1697 - Poor Act 1697 passed
1700s 1723 - the workhouses decided to give jobs to the poor so there wouldn't been so much of them on the street 1782 - Relief of the Poor Act 1782 passed.
1800s 1815 - The French Wars come to an end. 1830 - The Swing Riots highlight the possibility of agricultural unrest. 1832 - The Royal Commission into the Operation of the Poor Laws begins its investigation into the Poor Law system 1834 - Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 passed 1842 - Outdoor Labour Test Order allows outdoor relief despite the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834's ban on it 1844 - Outdoor Relief Prohibitory Order issued to further discourage outdoor relief 1847 - The Poor Law Commission is abolished and replaced by the Poor Law Board 1848 - The Huddersfield workhouse scandal occurs. 1865 - The Union Chargeability Act 1865 is passed 1867 - The Second Reform Act 1871 - The Local Government Board takes the powers of the Poor Law Board
1900s 1905 - Royal Commission on the Poor Laws and Relief of Distress 1905-09 set up by the outgoing Conservative government. 1906 - The Liberal Government is elected and begins an ambitious programme of welfare reforms. 1909 - The Minority report 1929 - The workhouse system is abolished by the Local Government Act 1929. 1948 - The Poor Law system abolished by the National Assistance Act 1948 (11 & 12 Geo. 6. c. 29).
References
External links Timeline