Decline and abolition of the poor law system

The Decline and abolition of the Poor law system in England and Wales can be traced to around 1870 when the share of population on poor relief began to fall into sharp decline which continued until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.^[1]

Demise

The demise of the Poor Law system can be largely attributed to the availability of alternative sources of assistance including membership of friendly societies and trade unions. Local government began to offer work relief outside of the Poor Law system and the interventionism of the Liberal government in their Liberal reforms paved the way for the abolition of the Poor Law.

Abolition

Use of the Poor Law system increased during the interwar years due to high levels of unemployment.The Local Government Act 1929 abolished Poor Law Unions and transferred the administration of poor relief to local government leaving the Poor Law system largely redundant. In 1934 the Unemployment Assistance Board gained responsibility for the unemployed and from 1945-1948 saw the introduction of the modern welfare state with the introduction of the National Health Service. The National Assistance Act of 1948 saw the Act which formally abolished all Poor Law legislation.

References

1. ↑ http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/boyer.poor.laws.england

Poor Laws of the British Isles
Poor Laws by territory	England and Wales Scotland Ireland Isle of Man Channel Islands	Nantwich workhouse
Old Poor Law	Vagabonds and Beggars Act 1494 Tudor Poor Laws Act for the Relief of the Poor 1597 Elizabethan Poor Law (1601) Poor Relief Act 1662 Poor Act 1697 Workhouse Test Act Relief of the Poor Act 1782 House of Correction Overseer of the poor Poor rate Poor relief
Relief systems	Indoor relief Outdoor relief Classification of the poor Speenhamland Labour Rate Roundsman Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor
New Poor Law	Royal commission (1832) Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 Poor Law (Scotland) Act 1845 Less eligibility Workhouse Workhouse test Board of guardians Outdoor Labour Test Order Outdoor Relief Prohibitory Order Poor law unions Opposition Book of Murder Scottish poorhouses
Changes after 1834	Poor Law Commission Poor Law Board Local Government Board Andover workhouse scandal Huddersfield workhouse scandal Union Chargeability Act
Decline and abolition	Liberal welfare reforms Royal Commission (1905–09) Majority Report Minority Report Interwar poverty National Assistance Act 1948
Other	Historiography of the Poor Laws Timeline of the Poor Law system Poor Relief Act List of poor law unions in England List of poor law unions in Wales List of Irish Poor Law Unions