Initially poor relief was administered within the parish until 1845. We therefore discuss records as being part of the Old Poor Law system (pre-1845) or the New Poor Law (post-1845). Poor Law records are vastly different from those in the rest of the United Kingdom. The English and Welsh Poor Laws and Settlement Acts did not apply in Scotland. Scottish parishes were responsible for the poor within their boundaries if they had lived there for seven years and were not able-bodied. Many surviving records are held at National Records of Scotland, with others retained by local archives.
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Kirk sessionsKirk sessions
Kirk sessions are the lowest local court of the church. The Kirk Session was responsible for administering poor relief to those within their parish who met the requirements, such as illness and age. Minute books were kept which can contain relevant information to poor relief including the names of those who received monetary payments as relief, decisions regarding pauper children of the parish and discussions over individual cases. Kirk sessions were abolished in 1929.
Heritors' recordsHeritors' records
'Heritors' were landowners in a parish who were responsible for contributing to the upkeep of the parish, including the church and school. Contributions towards poor relief are sometimes mentioned within their minute books or accounts.
Applications for reliefApplications for relief
The records surrounding the initial application for relief can be highly informative including:
- The name of the applicant, parish of residence, age and occupation
- The applicant's country of birth
- Date of application and date that the Inspector of the Poor visited their home
- The applicant's average weekly earnings and state of their health
- The details of their dependents including their spouse and children
- Number of previous applications for poor relief
- Whether their request for poor relief was granted in this case (a reason for refusal is normally given)
Poor rollsPoor rolls
Prior to 1845, some parishes kept poor rolls which list people within a parish and their contributions to poor relief.
After 1865, poor rolls tend to refer to the General Register of the Poor which gives details of successful applicants for poor relief. The details provided are therefore very similar to the above application for relief, however in these records the nature of their settlement is also determined. This could be by residence of seven years, through their husband's settlement or because they were born in the parish boundary.
Parochial board minute booksParochial board minute books
From 1845, Parochial Boards were established in each parish- followed by Parish Councils in 1894. Their minute books records decisions about individual pauper cases, changes to workhouse regulations and staff changes. They also include details of poor rates, naming landowners and the amount that they paid.
Poorhouse recordsPoorhouse records
The poorhouses in Scotland are often compared to workhouses of England and Wales but were actually very different institutions. They were not designed to provide work for those who needed it, but instead acting as a place of care for those in medical need. The records left behind include registers of admission and discharge giving details of each inmate, daily log books recording notable events and details of the day, punishment books and inmates registers which can provide additional information about a pauper. Children may be found in seperate registers if they were sent to poorhouse schools.
Newspaper articlesNewspaper articles
National and local newspapers published updates with regards to poor laws and poorhouse regulations. Local newspapers also featured noteworthy topics of interest to readers including reported neglect within poorhouses, pauper criminals acting out of desperation and summaries of parochial board meetings. The latter can given verbatim reports on what members of the board discussed.
See alsoSee also
Explore more about Poor Law records in ScotlandExplore more about Poor Law records in Scotland
- Rich Resources for Poor Ancestors at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Understanding and Using Scottish Kirk Session Records at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Kirk session records at Scotland's People
References