The Settlement Acts
The ratepayers objected to this abuse and in 1662 the Settlement Laws were
passed in order to prevent it. Unfortunately, the laws also reduced the mobility
of labour and discouraged the unemployed from leaving the parish of their birth
in order to find work. In
order to have a legal settlement, a person had to fulfil one or more of the
following conditions:
-be born into a parish where the parents had a settlement
-up to 1662, live in a parish for more than three years; after 1662 a person could be removed within 40 days of
arrival and after 1691 a person had to give 40 days' notice before moving into a parish
-be hired continually by a settled resident for more than a year and a day (this led to short contracts so people did not get a settlemen
-hold parish office
-rent property worth more than £10 p.a. OR pay taxes on a property worth more than £10 p.a.
-have married into the parish
-previously have received poor relief in that parish
-have served a full seven-year apprenticeship to a settled resident
After 1662, if a man left his settled parish to move elsewhere, he had to take with him a Settlement Certificate which guaranteed that his home parish would pay for his 'removal' costs from another parish back to his home parish if he became a claimant on the poor rates. Naturally enough, parishes were unwilling to issue such certificates so people tended to stay where they lived — and where they knew that if the occasion arose, they could claim on the poor rates without any additional difficulty.
The Settlement Laws were a great economic advantage to the owners of large estates where they controlled the housing. It was not unknown for landowners to demolish empty houses in order to reduce the population on their lands and also to prevent the return of those who had left. At the same time, they would employ labourers from neighbouring parishes: these people could be laid off without warning but would not increase the rates in the parish where they worked.
Although magistrates could order parishes to grant relief to the poor, this did not often happen since the landowners were also the magistrates and were unlikely make relief orders that would increase the poor rates.
These laws continued until the passing of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act when they were abandoned along with all other, earlier pieces of legislation. These included Knatchbull's Act (1723) and Gilbert's Act (1782); also, theSpeenhamland System was abolished by the 1834 Act.
Since the introduction of the poor law of 1601, the relief of the poor was the responsibility of the local parish. Some parishes provided more relief than others and this generosity made them vulnerable to exploitation by those seeking poor relief. Some of people seeking poor relief abused the system by moving into these more generous parishes provoking objection from the rate payers and eventually brought about the introduction of the Poor Relief Act of 1662.
passed in order to prevent it. Unfortunately, the laws also reduced the mobility
of labour and discouraged the unemployed from leaving the parish of their birth
in order to find work. In
order to have a legal settlement, a person had to fulfil one or more of the
following conditions:
-be born into a parish where the parents had a settlement
-up to 1662, live in a parish for more than three years; after 1662 a person could be removed within 40 days of
arrival and after 1691 a person had to give 40 days' notice before moving into a parish
-be hired continually by a settled resident for more than a year and a day (this led to short contracts so people did not get a settlemen
-hold parish office
-rent property worth more than £10 p.a. OR pay taxes on a property worth more than £10 p.a.
-have married into the parish
-previously have received poor relief in that parish
-have served a full seven-year apprenticeship to a settled resident
After 1662, if a man left his settled parish to move elsewhere, he had to take with him a Settlement Certificate which guaranteed that his home parish would pay for his 'removal' costs from another parish back to his home parish if he became a claimant on the poor rates. Naturally enough, parishes were unwilling to issue such certificates so people tended to stay where they lived — and where they knew that if the occasion arose, they could claim on the poor rates without any additional difficulty.
The Settlement Laws were a great economic advantage to the owners of large estates where they controlled the housing. It was not unknown for landowners to demolish empty houses in order to reduce the population on their lands and also to prevent the return of those who had left. At the same time, they would employ labourers from neighbouring parishes: these people could be laid off without warning but would not increase the rates in the parish where they worked.
Although magistrates could order parishes to grant relief to the poor, this did not often happen since the landowners were also the magistrates and were unlikely make relief orders that would increase the poor rates.
These laws continued until the passing of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act when they were abandoned along with all other, earlier pieces of legislation. These included Knatchbull's Act (1723) and Gilbert's Act (1782); also, theSpeenhamland System was abolished by the 1834 Act.
Since the introduction of the poor law of 1601, the relief of the poor was the responsibility of the local parish. Some parishes provided more relief than others and this generosity made them vulnerable to exploitation by those seeking poor relief. Some of people seeking poor relief abused the system by moving into these more generous parishes provoking objection from the rate payers and eventually brought about the introduction of the Poor Relief Act of 1662.