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April 1[edit]

Protecting older people in Poor Laws[edit]

Good afternoon everyone. Where can I find data on the coverage of older people in particular by the UK's Poor Laws? Thanks in advance. --Vyacheslav84 (talk) 09:41, 1 April 2021 (UTC)[reply]

According to Pensions in the United Kingdom, it appears one of the earliest laws to deal specifically with government benefits for older people was the Old-Age Pensions Act 1908. I would start there and follow links to help you with your research. --Jayron 32 12:11, 1 April 2021 (UTC)[reply]

It depends how far back you want to go. Poor Relief in England, 1350–1600 has a lengthy preview.

A good primary source for the late 19th-century is Report of the Royal Commission on the Aged Poor (1895). Alansplodge (talk) 12:30, 1 April 2021 (UTC)[reply]

For general background, see English Poor Laws and Scottish Poor Laws which have plenty of links. Alansplodge (talk) 12:34, 1 April 2021 (UTC)[reply]

@Jayron32: @Alansplodge: Thanks for the links, I'm looking for a coverage level. For example, 5% of older people in 1350 were covered by the Poor Laws, 15% in 1650, 30% in 1700, and so on. --Vyacheslav84 (talk) 09:57, 2 April 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The Statistics of the English Poor Rate before and since the Passing of the Poor Law Amendment Act (1860) says:

The daily subsistence is, partially or wholly, provided by it for 800,000 to 1,000,000 of our fellow creatures.

The population of England and Wales at the 1851 census was almost 18 million, giving a rough proportion of between 4.5% and 5.5%. This is provision for every kind of poverty and makes no distinction between old age, disability, sickness, bereavement, unemployment or any other kind of misfortune. These benefits were funded by local rates (tax) and provided by individual church parishes (civil parish after about 1860) - from 1834 specifically by parish boards of guardians - so collecting national data would have been a major undertaking. I imagine that most old people depended on their families for support; many parishes provided alms houses for a fortunate few. Alansplodge (talk) 13:26, 2 April 2021 (UTC)[reply]

@Alansplodge: Thanks for the answer. --Vyacheslav84 (talk) 09:59, 12 April 2021 (UTC)[reply]