POOR See also:

• LAW
• LAW (0. Eng. lagu, M. Eng. lawe; from an old Teutonic root lag, " lie," what lies fixed or evenly; cf. Lat. lex, Fr. loi)
• LAW, JOHN (1671—1729)
• LAW, WILLIAM (1686-1761)

LAW  . The phrase poor See also:

• LAW
• LAW (0. Eng. lagu, M. Eng. lawe; from an old Teutonic root lag, " lie," what lies fixed or evenly; cf. Lat. lex, Fr. loi)
• LAW, JOHN (1671—1729)
• LAW, WILLIAM (1686-1761)

law " in See also:

• ENGLISH

English usage denotes the legislation embodying the See also:

• MEASURES

measures taken by the See also:

• STATE
• STATE, GREAT OFFICERS OF

state for the See also:

• RELIEF

relief of paupers and its See also:

• ADMINISTRATION (Lat. administrare, to serve)

administration . The See also:

• HISTORY

history of the subject and its problems generally are dealt with in the See also:

• ARTICLE (from Lat. articulus, a joint)

article CHARITY AND CHARITIES, and other See also:

• INFORMATION (from Lat. informare, to give shape or form to, to represent, describe)

information will be found in See also:

• UNEMPLOYMENT

UNEMPLOYMENT and See also:

• VAGRANCY (formed from " vagrant," wandering, unsettled; this word appears in Anglo-Fr. as wakerant and O.Fr. as wancrant, and is probably of Teut. origin, cf. M.L.G. welkern, to walk about; it is allied to Eng. " walk," and is not to be directly referred

VAGRANCY . This article will See also:

• DEAL

deal only with the practice in the See also:

• UNITED

United See also:

• KINGDOM

Kingdom as adopted after the reform of the poor law in 1834 and amended by subsequent acts . This reform was brought about mainly by the rapid increase of the poor See also:

• RATE

rate at the beginning of the 19th See also:

• CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century, showing that a See also:

• CHANGE (derived through the Fr. from the Late Lat. cambium, cambiare, to barter; the ultimate derivation is probably from the root which appears in the Gr. «a urmu', to bend)

change was necessary either in the poor law as it then existed or in the mode of its administration . A See also:

• COMMISSION (from Lat. commissio, committere)

commission was appointed in 1832 " to make diligent and full inquiry into the See also:

• PRACTICAL

practical operation of the See also:

• LAWS

laws for the relief of the poor in See also:

• ENGLAND
• ENGLAND, THE CHURCH OF

England and See also:

• WALES (Cymru, Gwalia, Cambria)

Wales, and into the manner in which those laws were administered, and to See also:

• REPORT (O.Fr. report or raport, modern rapport, from O.Fr. reporter, mod. rap porter, Lat. reportare, to bring back, in poetical use only, of bringing back an account, news, &c.)

report their See also:

• OPINION (Lat. opinio, from opinari, to think)

opinion as to what beneficial alterations could be made." The commissioners reported " fully on the See also:

• GREAT

great abuse of the legislative See also:

• PROVISION (Lat. provisio)

provision for the poor as directed to be employed by the See also:

• STATUTE

statute of See also:

• ELIZABETH
• ELIZABETH (1533-1603)
• ELIZABETH (1596-1662)
• ELIZABETH (1635–1650)
• ELIZABETH [ AMELIE EUGENIE ] (1837—1898)
• ELIZABETH [1lisabeth Philippine Marie Helene of France] (1764—1794)
• ELIZABETH [PAULINE ELIZABETH OTTILIE LOUISE] (1843– )
• ELIZABETH [PETROVNA] (1709-1762), EMPRESS
• ELIZABETH, SAINT (1207-1231)

Elizabeth," finding "that the great source of abuse was the outdoor relief afforded to the able-bodied on their own See also:

• ACCOUNT
• ACCOUNT (through O. Fr. acont, Late Lat. comptum, cornputare, to calculate)

account or on that of their families, given either in See also:

• KIND (O. E. ge-cynde, from the same root as is seen in " kin," supra)

kind or in See also:

• MONEY

money." They also reported that " great maladministration existed in the workhouses." To remedy the evils they proposed considerable alterations in the law, and the See also:

• PRINCIPAL

principal portion of their suggestions was embodied in the Poor Law See also:

• AMENDMENT (through the O. Fr. amender, to correct, from Lat. mendum, a fault)

Amendment See also:

• ACT (Lat. actus, actum)

Act 1834 . By virtue of this act three commissioners were appointed (originally for five years, but subsequently continued from See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time to time), styled " the poor law commissioners for England and Wales," sitting as a See also:

• BOARD (O. Eng. bord)

board, and appointing assistant commissioners and other See also:

• OFFICERS

officers . The administration of relief according to the existing laws was subject to their direction and See also:

• CONTROL (Fr. contrdle, older form contre rolle, from Med. Lat. contra-rotulus, a counter roll or copy of a document used to check the original; there is no instance in English of the use of " control " in this, its literal, meaning)

control, and to their orders and regulations for the See also:

• GOVERNMENT
• GOVERNMENT (0. Fr. governement, mod. gouvernement, O. Fr. governer, mod. gouverner, from Lat. gubernare, to steer a ship, guide, rule; cf. Gr. xv(3epvav)

government of workhouses and the guidance and control of guardians and vestries and the keeping and allowing of accounts and contracts, without interfering with See also:

• ORDINARY (med. Lat. ordinarius, Fr. ordinaire)

ordinary relief in individual cases . The whole of England and Wales was divided into twenty-one districts, to each of which an assistant See also:

• COMMISSIONER

commissioner was appointed . The commissioners under their See also:

• POWERS, HIRAM (1805-1873)

powers formed poor law unions by uniting parishes for See also:

• GENERAL
• GENERAL (Lat. generalis, of or relating to a genus, kind or class)

general administration, and See also:

• BUILDING

building workhouses, guardians elected by the ratepayers (or ex officio) having the general government and administration of relief . The expense was apportioned to each See also:

• PARISH (Gr. irapouda, district, neighbourhood; 7r&poucos, one dwelling near or beside, from crap&, OtKOS, house; Lat. paroecur, Late Lat. parochia; cf. Fr. paroisse)

parish on settled principles and rules, with See also:

• POWER [WILLIAM GRATTAN] TYRONE (1797-1841)

power, however, to treat the united parishes as one for certain purposes . Out-See also:

• DOOR (corresponding to the Gr. Bbpa,. Lat. fores or valvae; the English word, with other forms common in allied languages, comes from the same Indo-European stem as the Gr. Obpa and Lat. fares)

door relief might be given, on the See also:

• ORDER
• ORDER (through Fr. ordre, for earlier ordene, from Lat. ordo, ordinis, rank, service, arrangement; the ultimate source is generally taken to be the root seen in Lat. oriri, rise, arise, begin; cf. " origin ")
• ORDER, HOLY

order of two justices, to poor persons wholly unable to See also:

• WORK

work from old See also:

• AGE (Fr. age, through late Lat. aetaticum, from aetas)

age or infirmity .

The obstacles which the act had to contend with in Londonchiefly arose from the confusion and perplexity of See also:

• JURISDICTION
• JURISDICTION, CRIMINAL LAW, DIVORCE

jurisdiction which existed in the one See also:

• HUNDRED

hundred and seventy parishes comprised within the See also:

• CITY (through Fr. cite, from Lat. civitas)

city of See also:

• LONDON

London and the See also:

• METROPOLITAN (Lat. metropolitanus, Gr. µnrpoiroXtrns)

metropolitan See also:

• DISTRICT

district, some of these containing governing bodies of their own; in some the parish business was professedly managed by open vestries, in others by select vestries, and in addition to these there were elective vestries, while the See also:

• MAJORITY (Fr. majorite; Med. Lat. majoritas; Lat. major, greater)

majority of the large parishes were managed under See also:

• LOCAL

local acts by boards of See also:

• DIRECTORS

directors, See also:

• GOVERNORS

governors and trustees . These governing bodies executed a great variety of functions besides regulating the management of the poor . The power, patronage and the indirect advantages which arose from the administration of the local funds were so great that much opposition took See also:

• PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place when it was proposed to interfere by constituting a board to be annually chosen and freely elected by the ratepayers, on which the See also:

• DUTY (from " due," that which is owing, O. Fr. deu, dil, past participle of devoir; Lat. debere, debitum; cf. " debt ")

duty of regulating the See also:

• EXPENDITURE

expenditure for the relief of the poor was to depend . The general management of the poor was, however, on a somewhat better footing in London than in the See also:

• COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country . The act of 1834 was rather to restore the See also:

• SCOPE (through Ital. scopo, aim, purpose, intent, from Gr. o'KOaos, mark to shoot at, aim, o ic07reiv, to see, whence the termination in telescope, microscope, &c.)

scope and intention of the statute of Elizabeth by placing its administration in the hands of responsible persons chosen by the ratepayers, and themselves controlled by the orders of a central See also:

• BODY

body, than to create a new See also:

• SYSTEM

system of poor laws . The agents and See also:

• INSTRUMENTS

instruments by which the administration of relief is afforded are the following . The description applies to the See also:

• YEAR

year 1910, but, as noticed below, the question of further reform was already to the fore, and the precise direction in which changes should go was a highly controversial See also:

• MATTER

matter . The guardians of the poor regulate the cases and description of relief within the See also:

• UNION
• UNION (known locally as Union Hill and officially as Town of Union)

union; a certain number of guardians are elected from time to time by the ratepayers . The number was formerly determined by the central Guard/ans. board,l by whom full directions as to the mode of See also:

• ELECTION
• ELECTION (from Lat. eligere, to pick out)

election were given . In addition to those elected there were ex officio guardians, principally local magistrates . However, both these and nominated guardians were done away with by the Local Government Act 1894 . The plural See also:

• VOTE

vote (which gave to the votes of the larger ratepayers a higher value) was also abolished; and in place of the old See also:

• PROPERTY

property qualification for the See also:

• OFFICE (from Lat. officium, " duty," " service," a shortened form of opifacium, from facere, " to do," and either the stem of opes, " wealth," " aid," or opus, " work ")

office of See also:

• GUARDIAN

guardian a ratepaying or residential qualification was substituted .

In See also:

• URBAN
• URBAN (Urbanus)

urban districts the act in other respects See also:

• LEFT

left the board of guardians untouched, but in rural districts it inaugurated a policy of consolidating local authorities . In the rural districts the district See also:

• COUNCIL (Lat. concilium, from cum, together, and the root cal, to call)

council is practically amalgamated with the guardians, for, though each body retains a See also:

• SEPARATE

separate corporate existence, the district councillors are the guardians, and guardians as such are no longer elected . These electoral changes, extremely democratic in their See also:

• CHARACTER (Gr. xapareri7p, from xap&crew, to scratch)

character, brought about no marked general change in poor law administration . Here and there abrupt changes of policy were made, but the difficulty of bringing general principles to See also:

• BEAR
• BEAR, BLACK
• BEAR, BROWN
• BEAR, GRIZZLY
• BEAR, ISABELLINE
• BEAR, WHITE

bear on the administration of the law remained much as before . The guardians hold their meetings frequently, according to the exigencies of the union . Individual cases are brought to their See also:

• NOTICE

notice--most cases of See also:

• RESIDENT

resident poor by the relieving officer of the union; the See also:

• CASE
• CASE, JOHN (d. 1600)

case of casual paupers by him or by the work-See also:

• HOUSE
• HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in Gothic it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)

house officers by whom they were admitted in the first instance . The resident poor frequently appear in See also:

• PERSON, OFFENCES AGAINST THE

person before the guardians . The mode of voting which the guardians follow in respect to any matter they differ on is minutely regulated, and all their proceedings, as well as those of their officers, are entered in pre-scribed books and forms . They have a clerk, generally a local See also:

• SOLICITOR

solicitor of experience, who has a variety of responsible duties in advising, conducting See also:

• CORRESPONDENCE
• CORRESPONDENCE (from med. scholastic Lat. correspondentia, corrcspondere, compounded of Lat. cum, with, and respond ere, to answer; cf. Fr. correspondance)

correspondence and keeping books of 1 After an intermediate See also:

• TRANSFER (from Lat. transferre, to bear across, carry over)

transfer in 1847 of the powers of the poor law commissioners, and the constitution of a fresh board styled " commissioners for administering the laws for relief of the poor in England," it was found expedient to concentrate in one See also:

• DEPARTMENT (Fr. departement, from departir, to separate into parts)

department of the government the supervision of the laws See also:

• RELATING

relating to the public See also:

• HEALTH

health, the relief of the poor and local government;: and this concentration was in 1871 carried out by the See also:

• ESTABLISHMENT (0. Fr. establissement, Fr. etablissement, late Norm. Fr. establishement, from O. Fr. establir, Fr. etablir, Lat. stabilire, to make stable)

establishment (by Act of See also:

• PARLIAMENT (Anglo-Lat. parliamentum, Fr. parlement, from parler, to speak)

Parliament 34 & 35 Vict. c . 70) of the local government board . accounts, and carrying out the directions of the guardians, who in their turn are subject to the general or See also:

• SPECIAL

special regulations of the local government board . It may be mentioned here that the See also:

• CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief difficulty in under-See also:

• STANDING

standing the English poor law arises from the fact that there are three authorities, each of them able to alter its administration fundamentally .

The poor law is not only the creation of statutes passed by parliament; it is also controlled by the subordinate jurisdiction of the local government board, which in virtue of various acts has the power to issue orders . In a single year the local government board may issue nearly two thousand orders, over a thousand of them having special reference to the poor law . It is not possible therefore even to summarize the See also:

• MASS (O.E. maesse; Fr. messe; Ger. Messe; Ital. messa; from eccl. Lat. missa)
• MASS, IN

mass of subordinate legislation . A third source of authority is the local board of guardians, which, within the discretion allowed to it by statutes and orders, can so variously administer the law that it is difficult to understand how See also:

• PROCEDURE (Fr. procedure, from Lat. procedere, to go for-ward)

procedure so fundamentally different can be based on one and the same law . This See also:

• ELASTICITY

elasticity, admirable or mischievous, as we choose to regard it, is the most characteristic feature of the English poor law system . The various officers of the union, from the medical officers to workhouse porters, including masters and matrons of workhouses, are generally appointed by the guardians, and the areas, duties and salaries of all the paid officers may be prescribed by the local government board . Among a multitude of See also:

• MISCELLANEOUS

miscellaneous duties and powers of the guardians, apart from the ordinary duties of ordering 'or refusing relief in individual cases and superintending the officers of the union, the duties devolve on them of considering the See also:

• ADJUSTMENT (from late Lat. ad juxtare, derived from juxta, near, but early confounded with a supposed derivation from justus, right)

adjustment of contributions to the See also:

• COMMON

common fund whether of divided or added parishes, and matters affecting other unions, the building of workhouses and raising of money for that and other purposes, the taking of See also:

• LAND

land on See also:

• LEASE (derived through the Fr. from the Lat. laxare, to loosen)

lease, the See also:

• HIRING (from O. Eng. hyrian, a word common to many Teutonic languages cf. Ger. heuern, Dutch huren, &c.)

hiring of buildings, special provisions as to See also:

• SUPERANNUATION (formed on the basis of " annual," " annuity," from the Late Lat. superannatus, one that has lived beyond the year, super, above, and annus, year, Fr. suranner, to grow very old)

superannuation and allowances to officers, the See also:

• MAINTENANCE (Fr. maintenance, from maintenir, to maintain, support, Lat. manu tenere, to hold in the hand)

maintenance and orders as to lunatics apart from individual instances, and the See also:

• CONSIDERATION (from Lat. considerare, to look at closely, examine, generally taken to be from con-, and the base seen in sidus, sideris, a star, the word being supposed to be originally an astrological or astronomical term)

consideration of questions of See also:

• SETTLEMENT
• SETTLEMENT, ACT OF

settlement and removal . A See also:

• PARAMOUNT (Anglo-Fr. paramont, up above, par el mont, up or on top of the mountain)

paramount See also:

• OBLIGATION

obligation rests on the guardians to attend to the actual visitation of workhouses, See also:

• SCHOOLS

schools and other institutions and places in which the poor are interested, and to See also:

• CALL (from Anglo-Saxon ceallian, a common Teutonic word, cf. Dutch kallen, to talk or chatter)

call See also:

• ATTENTION (from Lat. ad-tendo, await, expect; the condition of being " stretched " or " tense ")

attention to and report on any irregularity or neglect of duty . Guardians may See also:

• CHARGE
• CHARGE (through the Fr. from the Late Lat. carricare, to load in a carrus or wagon; cf. " cargo ")

charge the rates with the expenses of attending conferences for the discussion of matters connected with their duties (Poor Law Conferences Act 1883) . In relation to expenditure the guardians have very considerable but restricted powers . Their accounts are audited by district auditors appointed by the local government board . Overseers of the poor are still appointed under the statute of Elizabeth, and the guardians cannot interfere with the See also:

• APPOINTMENT, POWER OF

appointment .

As, however, the relief of the poor is administered by boards of guardians, the principal duties of overseers relate to the making and collection of rates and payments . The guardians, by order of the local government board, may appoint assistant overseers and collectors . The conditions of persons entitled to relief are indicated by the terms of the statute of Elizabeth . If they fall within the See also:

• DEFINITIONS

definitions there given they have right to relief . A fundamental principle with respect to legal relief of the poor is that the See also:

• CONDITION (Lat. condicio, from condicere, to agree upon, arrange; not connected with conditio, from condere, conditum, to put together)

condition of the pauper ought to be, on the whole, less eligible than that of the See also:

• INDEPENDENT

independent labourer . The pauper has no just ground for complaint, if, while his See also:

• PHYSICAL

physical wants are adequately provided for, his condition is less eligible than that of the poorest class of those who contribute to his support . If a state of destitution exists, the failure of third persons to perform their duty, as a See also:

• HUSBAND

husband, or relative mentioned in the statute of Elizabeth, neglecting those he is under a legal obligation to support, is no See also:

• ANSWER (derived from and, against, and the same root as swear)

answer to the application . The relief should be afforded, and is often a condition precedent to the right of parish officers to take proceedings against the relatives or to apply to other poor unions . The duty to give immediate relief must, however, vary with the circumstances . The case of wanderers under circumstances not admitting of delay may be different from that of persons resident on the spot where inquiry as to all the circumstances is practicable . The statute of Elizabeth contemplated that the relief was to be afforded to the poor resident in the parish, but it is contrary to the spirit of the law that any person shall be permitted to perish from See also:

• STARVATION

starvation or want of medical assistance . Whoever is by sudden emergency or urgent See also:

• DISTRESS

distress deprived of the ordinary means of subsistence has a right to apply for immediate relief where he may happen to be .

Persons comprehended within this class are called " casual poor," although the See also:

• TERM

term " casuals " is generally used in reference to vagrants who take See also:

• REFUGE

refuge for a See also:

• SHORT, FRANCIS JOB (1857– )

short time in the " casual wards " of workhouses . Various tests are applied to ascertain whether applicants are really destitute . Labour tests are applied to the able-bodied, and workhouse tests are applied to those to whom entering a workhouse is made a condition of relief . As to the nature and kind of relief given under the poor laws the great distinction restored rather than introduced by the amendment of the poor law system in 1834 was Nature and giving all relief to able-bodied persons of their Kind of families in well-regulated workhouses (that is to Relief say, places where they may be set to work according to the spirit and intention of the statute of Elizabeth), and confining outdoor relief to the impotent—that is, all except the able-bodied and their families . Although workhouses formed a conspicuous feature in legislation for the poor from an See also:

• EARLY
• EARLY, JUBAL ANDERSON (1816-1894)

early See also:

• PERIOD
• PERIOD (Gr. irepioSos, a going or way round, circuit, aepi, round, and &Sis, way, road)

period, the erection of those buildings for unions throughout the country where not already provided followed immediately on the amendment of the system in 1834 . Since that time there has been a See also:

• CONSTANT, BENJAMIN (1845-1902)

constant struggle between the pauper class and the administrators of the law, the former naturally wishing to be relieved at their own homes, and in many instances choosing rather to go without aid than to remove within the walls of the workhouse . Relief given in a workhouse is termed " in (or indoor) maintenance " relief, and when given at the homes of the paupers is termed " outdoor relief." See also:

• ADMISSION

Admission to a workhouse may be by a written order of the board of guardians, or by the See also:

• MASTER (Lat. magister, related to tnagis, more, as the corresponding minister is to minus, less; the English form is due partly to the O. Eng. maegister, and partly to O. Fr. maistre, mod. maitre; cf. Du. meester, Ger. Meister, Ital. maestro)

master or matron (or in their See also:

• ABSENCE (Lat. absentia)

absence by the See also:

• PORTER
• PORTER, BENJAMIN CURTIS (1843– )
• PORTER, DAVID (1780-1843)
• PORTER, DAVID DIXON (1813-1891)
• PORTER, ENDYMION (1587–1649)
• PORTER, HENRY (ft. 1596-1599)
• PORTER, HORACE (1837– )
• PORTER, JANE (1776–1850)
• PORTER, MARY (d. 1765)
• PORTER, NOAH (1811–1892)

porter) without an order in any case of sudden Workhouse or urgent See also:

• NECESSITY (Lat. necessitas)

necessity, or provisionally by a relieving officer, or overseer or See also:

• CHURCHWARDEN

churchwarden . Any person who Rules . is brought by a policeman as having been found wandering in a state of destitution may be admitted . It is to be observed generally, with respect to all persons who may apply for admission into the workhouse under circumstances of urgent necessity, that their destitution, coupled with the fact of being within the union or parish, entitles them to relief, altogether independently of their settlement, if they have one, which is a matter for subsequent inquiry . The regulations for the government of workhouses fall under two classes: (i) those which are necessary for the maintenance of See also:

• GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good order in any building in which considerable See also:

• NUMBERS, BOOK OF
• NUMBERS, PARTITION OF

numbers of persons of both sexes and of different ages reside; (2) those which are necessary in order that these establishments may not be See also:

• ALMS

alms-houses, but workhouses in the proper meaning of the term . The inmates of a workhouse are necessarily separated into certain classes .

In no well-managed institution of this sort, in any country, are See also:

• MALES

males and See also:

• FEMALES

females, the old and the See also:

• YOUNG
• YOUNG, A
• YOUNG, ARTHUR (1741-1820)
• YOUNG, BRIGHAM (1801-1877)
• YOUNG, CHARLES MAYNE (1777–1856)
• YOUNG, EDWARD (1683–1765)
• YOUNG, JAMES (1811-1883)
• YOUNG, THOMAS (1773-1829)

young,'the healthy and the sick, indiscriminately mixed together . Guardians are required to See also:

• DIVIDE

divide the paupers into certain classes, and to subdivide any one or more of these classes in any manner which may be advisable, and which the See also:

• INTERNAL

internal arrangements of the workhouse admit; and the guardians are required from time to time, after consulting the medical officer, to make necessary arrangements with regard to per-sons labouring under any disease of body or mind, and, so far as circumstances permit, to subdivide any of the enumerated classes with reference to the moral character or behaviour or the previous habits of the inmates, or to such other grounds as may seem expedient . The separation of married couples was See also:

• LONG, GEORGE (1800-1879)
• LONG, JOHN DAVIS (1838– )

long a vexed question, the evils on the one See also:

• HAND
• HAND (a word common to Teutonic languages; cf. Ger. Hand, Goth. handus)
• HAND, FERDINAND GOTTHELF (1786-185r)

hand arising from the former unrestricted practice being very great, while on the other hand the separation of old couples was See also:

• FELT (cognate with Ger. Filz, Du. vilt, Swed. and Dan. fill; the root is unknown; the word has given Med. Lat. filtrum, " filter ")

felt as a great hardship, and by See also:

• EXPRESS (through the French from the past participle of the Lat. exprimere, to press out, by transference used of representing objects in painting or sculpture, or of thoughts, &c. in words)

express statutory See also:

• PRO

pro-See also:

• VISION (from Lat. videre, to see), or SIGHT

vision in 1847 husband and wife, both being above the age of sixty, received into a workhouse cannot be compelled to live separate and apart from each other (to & is Viet. c . 109, § 23) . This exemption was carried somewhat further by contemporaneous orders of the board, under which guardians were not compelled to separate infirm couples, provided they had a sleeping apartment separate from that of other paupers; and in 1876 guardians were empowered, at their discretion, to permit husband and wife where either of them is Overseers . Conditions of Relief . infirm, sick or disabled by any injury, or above sixty years of age to live together, but every such case must be reported to the local government board (39 & 40 Vict . C . 61, § io) . The See also:

• CLASSIFICATION (Lat. classis, a class, probably from the root cal-, cla-, as in Gr. icaMce, clamor)

classification of See also:

• CHILDREN, LAW RELATING TO

children apart from adult paupers is See also:

• PEREMPTORY

peremptory . Even in those unions where what is called a workhouse school is maintained the children are kept in detached parts of the building, and do not See also:

• ASSOCIATE (Lat. associates, from ad, to, and sociare to join)

associate with the adult paupers . The separate school is built on a separate and often distant site .

Some-times the separate school is one building, sometimes detached " blocks," and sometimes a See also:

• GROUP

group of cottage homes . There still remain ten district schools . In some places an experiment which is called the scattered homes system has been adopted . This consists in lodging-homes for the children placed in different parts of the See also:

• TOWN

town, from which the children attend the local public elementary schools . In the rural districts and in less populous unions the children generally attend the local public elementary school . To these expedients boarding-out must be added . The above refers of course only to those children who as inmates are under the charge of the guardians . Outdoor paupers are responsible for the See also:

• EDUCATION

education of their children, but guardians cannot legally continue outdoor relief if the children are not sent regularly to school . The tendency too has been to improve administrative methods with reference to children . Two important orders on the subject of the boarding-out of poor-law children were issued in 1889 . By the Boarding of Children in Unions Order, See also:

• ORPHAN

orphan and deserted children can be boarded out with suitable See also:

• FOSTER, GEORGE EULAS (1847– )
• FOSTER, JOHN (177o-1843)
• FOSTER, MYLES BIRKET (1825-1899)
• FOSTER, SIR CLEMENT LE NEVE (1841-1904)
• FOSTER, SIR MICHAEL (1836-r9o7)
• FOSTER, STEPHEN COLLINS (1826-1864)

foster-parents in the union by all boards of guardians except those in the See also:

• METROPOLIS (Gr. piir17Pi mother, srGXis, city)

metropolis . This can be done either through a voluntary See also:

• COMMITTEE (from commute, an Anglo-Fr. past participle of commettre, Lat. committere, to entrust; the modern Fr. equivalent comite is derived from the Eng.)

committee or directly .

By the Boarding Out Order, orphan and deserted children may be boarded out by all boards of guardians without the limits of their own unions, but in all cases this must be done through the offices of properly constituted local boarding-out committees . The sum payable to the foster-parents is not to exceed 4s. per See also:

• WEEK (from A.S. wicu, Germanic *wikon, probably=change, turn)

week for each See also:

• CHILD
• CHILD, FRANCIS JAMES (1825-1896)
• CHILD, L
• CHILD, LYDIA MARIA (1802-1880)
• CHILD, SIR FRANCIS (1642-1713)
• CHILD, SIR JOHN (d. 1690)
• CHILD, SIR JOSIAH (163o - 1699)

child . The local committee require to be approved by the Local Government Board . The question of the education of poor law children was much discussed in later years . During the early years of the central authority, it was the See also:

• OBJECT

object of the commissioners to induce boards of guardians to unite in districts for educational purposes . This was advocated on grounds of efficiency and See also:

• ECONOMY

economy . It was very unpopular with the local authorities, and the number of such districts has never exceeded a dozen . In London, where this See also:

• AGGREGATION (from the Lat. ad, to, gregare, to collect together)

aggregation was certainly less desirable than in rural unions, several districts were formed and large district schools were built . Adverse See also:

• CRITICISM
• CRITICISM (from the Gr. KpiTrlS, a judge, Kpivew, to decide, to give an authoritative opinion)

criticism, by Mrs See also:

• NASSAU

Nassau See also:

• SENIOR, NASSAU WILLIAM (1790-1864)

Senior in 1874, and by a department committee appointed twenty years later, was directed against these large, or, as they are invidiously called, barrack schools . The See also:

• JUSTICE (Lat. justitia)

justice of this condemnation has been disputed, but it seems probable that some of these schools had grown too large . Many of these have been dissolved by order of the local government board on the application of the unions concerned . This condemnation of some schools has in certain quarters been extended to all schools, and is construed by others as an unqualified recommendation of boarding out, a method of bringing up poor law children obviously requiring even more careful supervision than is needed in the publicity of a school .

Other acts to be noted are the Poor Law Act 1889 and the Custody of Children Act 1891, § 3 . The evil of allowing children who have been reputably brought up in poor law schools to relapse into vicious habits on return to the custody of unworthy parents has been the subject of frequent remark . By the act of 1889, guardians are authorized to detain children who are under their charge, as having been deserted by their parents, up to the age of 16 if boys and of 18 if girls . By the Poor Law Act 1899 the principle is extended to orphans and the children of See also:

• BAD, BCD

bad parents chargeable to the rates . The act of 1891 goes further, and enacts that where a See also:

• PARENT, SIMON NAPOLEON (1855– )

parent has (a) abandoned or deserted his child, or (b) allowed his child to be brought up by another person at that person's expense, or by the guardians of a poor law union for such a length of time and in such circumstances as to satisfy the See also:

• COURT
• COURT (from the O. Fr. court, Late Lat. cortis, curtis, a popular form of class. Lat. cohors, gen. cohortis; the mod. Fr. form tour is due to the influence of the Lat. curia, the word used in medieval documents to translate " court " in the feudal sense)
• COURT, ANTOINE (1696-176o)

court that the parent was unmindful of his parental duties, the court shall not make an order for the delivery of the child to the parent unless the parent has satisfied the court that, having regard to the welfare of the child, he is a See also:

• FIT

fit person to have the custody of the child . Casual and poor wayfarers admitted by the master and matron are kept in a separate See also:

• WARD
• WARD, ADOLPHUS WILLIAM (1837- )
• WARD, ARTEMUS
• WARD, EDWARD MATTHEW (1816-1879)
• WARD, ELIZABETH STUART PHELPS (1844-1911)
• WARD, JAMES (1769--1859)
• WARD, JAMES (1843– )
• WARD, JOHN QUINCY ADAMS (1830-1910)
• WARD, LESTER FRANK (1841– )
• WARD, MARY AUGUSTA [MRS HUMPHRY WARD]
• WARD, WILLIAM (1766-1826)
• WARD, WILLIAM GEORGE (1812-1882)

ward and dieted and set to work in such manner as the guardians by See also:

• RESOLUTION

resolution See also:

• DIRECT

direct; and whenever any vagrants or mendicants are received into a workhouse they are usually (as a precaution necessary for preventing the introduction of infectious or contagious diseases) kept entirely separate from the other inmates, unless their stay exceeds a single See also:

• NIGHT

night . For the guidance of guardians an important circular was issued' from the local government board on the 15th of See also:

• MARCH
• MARCH (1) (from Fr. marcher, to walk; the earliest sense in French appears to be " to trample," and the origin has usually been found in the Lat. marcus, hammer; Low Lat. marcare, to hammer; hence to beat the road with the regular tread of a soldier: cf.
• MARCH, AUZIAS (c. "1395-1458)
• MARCH, EARLS OF
• MARCH, FRANCIS ANDREW (1825– )

March 1886 . It stated that while " the board have no doubt that the powers which the guardians possess are fully sufficient to enable them to deal with ordinary See also:

• PAUPERISM (Lat. pauper, poor)

pauperism, and to meet the demand for relief from the classes who usually seek it," yet " these provisions do not in all cases meet the emergency . What is required to relieve artisans and others who have hitherto avoided poor law assistance, and whoare temporarily deprived of employment, is—(I) Work which will not involve the stigma of pauperism; (2) work which all can per-See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form, whatever may have been their previous occupations; (3) work which does not compete with that of other labourers at See also:

• PRESENT

present in employment; and lastly, work which is not likely to interfere with the resumption of See also:

• REGULAR

regular employment in their own trades by those who seek it." The circular went on to recommend that guardians should confer with the local authorities, " and endeavour to arrange with the latter for the See also:

• EXECUTION (from Lat. ex-sequor, exsecutus, follow or carry out)

execution of See also:

• WORKS

works on.which unskilled labour may be immediately employed." The conditions of such work were (I) the men to be employed must be recommended by the guardians; (2) the See also:

• WAGES (the plural of " wage," from Late Lat. wadium, a pledge, O. Fr. wagier, gagier)

wages must be less than the wages ordinarily paid for such work . The circular was widely distributed . Many boards that were inclined in that direction regarded it as an encouragement to open er to promote the opening of relief works . Others, again, looked closely at the conditions, and declared roundly that it was impossible to fulfil them .

A poor law authority, they said, cannot give relief which will not subject the recipients to the legal (if any) and economic disabilities attaching to the See also:

• RECEIPT (M.E. receite, derived through Fr. from Lat. recepta, participle of recipere, to receive)

receipt of poor law relief . Work which all can perform can only be found in the shape of task-work under adequate supervision . If the work is of a useful and necessary character, it must compete with the labour of others belonging to the trades affected . If the relief works are opened by authorities other than the poor law guardians, the conditions that the men were only to be employed when recommended by the guardians, and then paid less than the current rate of wages, were calculated, it was urged, to secure bad work, discontent, and all the " stigma of pauperism." The See also:

• AMBIGUITY (Fr. ambiguite, med. Lat. ambiguitas, from Lat. ambiguus, doubtful; ambi, both ways, agere, to drive)

ambiguity of the circular indeed was such, that both See also:

• ACTION

action and inaction seem amply justified by it . In the administration of medical relief to the sick, the See also:

• OBJECTS

objects kept in view are: (I) to provide medical aid for persons who are really destitute, and (2) to prevent medical relief from Medlcal generating or encouraging pauperism, and with this Relief. view to withdraw from the labouring classes, as well as from the administrators of relief and the medical officers, all motives for applying for or administering medical relief, unless where the circumstances render it absolutely necessary . Unions are formed into medical districts limited in See also:

• AREA

area and See also:

• POPULATION (Lat. populus, people; populare, to populate)

population, to which a paid medical officer is appointed, who is furnished with a See also:

• LIST (O.E. lisle, a Teutonic word, cf. Dut. lust, Ger. Leiste, adapted in Ital. lista and Fr. lisle)
• LIST, FRIEDRICH (1789-1846)

list of all such aged and infirm persons and persons permanently sick or disabled as are actually receiving relief and residing within the medical officer's district . Every person named in the list receives a See also:

• TICKET (O. Fr. esliquet, also estiquette, mod. etiquette, from Ger. sleeken, to stick up)

ticket, and on exhibiting it to the medical officer is entitled to See also:

• ADVICE (Fr. avis, from Lat. ad, to, and visum, viewed)

advice, attendance and See also:

• MEDICINE

medicine as his case may require . Medical outdoor relief in connexion with dispensaries is regulated in See also:

• ASYLUM (from Gr. b.-, privative, arid earl, right'of seizure)
• ASYLUM, RIGHT OF (Fr. droit d'asile; Ger. Asylrecht)

asylum districts of the metropolis by the Metropolitan Poor Act 1867 (30 & 31 Vict . C . 6) . In connexion with medical relief must be noted the Medical Relief Disqualification Removal Act 1885 . This act relieved voters from disqualification which would otherwise attach in consequence of the receipt by them or their families of medical or surgical assistance, or of medicine, at the expense of the poor rate .

This does not apply to guardian elections, and it does not include persons who, in addition to medical relief, receive nourishment or other relief from the poor rate . The provisions which require the removal of the names of paupers from the electoral See also:

• ROLL (O. Fr. rolle, roulle, mod. role, Lat. rotulus, dim. of rota, wheel)
• ROLL, ALFRED PHILIPPE (1846– )

roll are, it is understood, very perfunctorily carried out . The Outdoor Relief Friendly See also:

• SOCIETIES, LEARNED

Societies Act 1894 authorized guardians, in calculating the proper See also:

• ALLOWANCE (from "allow,' derived through 0. Fr. alouer from the two Lat. origins adlaudare, to praise, and allocare, to assign a place; so that the English word combined the general idea of "assigning with approval")

allowance to be made, to disregard an income derived from a friendly society, and to give relief as if the applicant in receipt of such an allowance was wholly destitute . This act is a curious See also:

• ILLUSTRATION

illustration of the English poor law system . In earlier years, notably in what is known as See also:

• PAGET, SIR JAMES, BART

Paget's See also:

• LETTER (through Fr. lettre from Lat. littera or litera, letter of the alphabet; the origin of the Latin word is obscure; it has probably no connexion with the root of linere, to smear, i.e. with wax, for an inscription with a stilus)

letter (22nd See also:

• REP, REPP, or REPS

Rep . Poor Law Board, p . 1o8), the central board, had, in answer to inquiry, pointed out that such preferential treatment given to men receiving benefit, insufficient to maintain them, from a friendly society, could not in See also:

• EQUITY (Lat. aequitas)

equity be withheld from persons in receipt of an adequate benefit, or from those whose savings took the form of a See also:

• DEPOSIT (Lat. depositurn, from deponere, to lay down, to put in the care of)

deposit in a See also:

• BANK

bank, of a See also:

• SHARE (O. Eng. scearu, chiefly in compounds, e.g. land-scearu, a share of land, from sceran to cut; cf. " shear" )

share in a co-operative society, or of cottage property; and further, that an engagement on the See also:

• PART

part of guardians to supplement insufficient allowance from a friendly society was a See also:

• BOUNTY (through O. Fr. bontet, from Lat. bonitas, goodness)

bounty on inadequate and insolvent friendly society See also:

• FINANCE

finance . The central board went so far as to say that relief given in such disregard of the pauper's income was illegal . They had, however, issued no peremptory order on the subject, nor had guardians been surcharged for neglect of the See also:

• RULE

rule . The local authorities followed their own discretion, and a very general practice was to reckon friendly society allowances at See also:

• HALF

half their value . The above act set aside the central board's earlier See also:

• INTERPRETATION (from Lat. interpretari, to expound, explain, inter pres, an agent, go-between, interpreter; inter, between, and the root pret-, possibly connected with that seen either in Greek 4 p4'ew, to speak, or irpa-rrecv, to do)

interpretation of the law . It _made, however, no See also:

• ATTEMPT (Lat. adtemptare, attentare, to try)

attempt to enforce its procedure on the numerous boards of guardians who regard the course thereby authorized as contrary to public policy .

A lunatic asylum is required to be provided by a See also:

• COUNTY (through Norm. Fr. comae, cf. O. Fr. cunte, conk', Mod. Fr. comae, from Lat. comitatus, cf. Ital. comitato, Prov. comtat; see COUNT)

county or See also:

• BOROUGH (A.S. nominative burh, dative byrig, which produces some of the place-names ending in bury, a sheltered or fortified place, the camp of refuge of a tribe, the stronghold of a chieftain; cf. Ger. Burg, Fr. bor, bore, bourg)
• BOROUGH [BURROUGH, BURROWE, BORROWS], STEVEN (1525–1584)

borough for the reception of pauper lunatics, with a committee of visitors who, among other duties, See also:

• FIX, THEODORE (180o-1846)

fix a weekly sum to Lunatics be charged for the lodging, maintenance, medicine and clothing of each pauper lunatic confined in such asylum . Several acts were passed . The Lunacy Act 1890 consolidated the acts affecting lunatics . It was further amended by the Lunacy Act 1891 . An explanatory letter issued by the local government board will be found in the 2oth See also:

• ANNUAL

Annual Report, p . 23 . The tendency of this and of all See also:

• RECENT

recent legislation for an afflicted class has been to increase the care and the safeguards for their proper treatment . A settlement is the right acquired in any one of the modes pointed out by the poor laws to become a recipient of the benefit of those laws in that parish or place where the right has been last acquired . No relief is given from the poor rates of a parish to any person who does not reside within the union, except where such person The Ques- being casually within a parish becomes destitute by tion of sudden distress, or where such person is entitled to "See also:

• SETTLE
• SETTLE, ELKANAH (1648–1724)

Settle- receive relief from any parish where non-resident anent." under justice's order (applicable to persons under orders of removal and to non-resident lunatics), and except to widows and legitimate children where the widow was resident with her husband at the time of his See also:

• DEATH

death out of the union in which she was not settled, or where a child under sixteen is maintained in a workhouse or establishment for the education of pauper children not situate in the union, and in some other exceptional cases . Immediately before the passing of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 settlements were acquired by See also:

• BIRTH (a word common in various forms to Teutonic languages from the root of the verb " to bear ")

birth, hiring and service, See also:

• APPRENTICESHIP (from Fr. apprendre, to learn)

apprenticeship, renting a See also:

• TENEMENT (Med. Lat. tenetnentum, from tenere, to hold)

tenement, See also:

• ESTATE (through O. Fr. estat, mod. flat, from Lat. status, state, condition, position, stare, to stand)

estate, office or See also:

• PAYMENT (Fr. paiement, from payer, to pay; Lat. pacare, to appease, pax, peace)

payment of rates . In addition to these an See also:

• ACKNOWLEDGMENT (from the old acknow, a compound of on- and know, to know by the senses, which passed through the forms oknow, aknow and acknow; acknowledge is formed on analogy of " knowledge ")

acknowledgment (by certificate), by relief or acts of acquiescence) has practically the effect of a settlement, for, if unexplained, such an acknowledgment stops the parish from disputing a settlement in the parish acknowledging . The Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 abolished settlement by hiring and service (or by See also:

• RESIDENCE (Latin residere, to remain behind, to dwell, reside)

residence under it) and by serving an office, and by apprenticeship in the See also:

• SEA (in O. Eng. sae, a common Teutonic word; cf. Ger. See, Dutch Zee, &c.; the ultimate source is uncertain)
• SEA, COMMAND OF THE

sea service .

Moreover the guardians of a union might agree (subject to the approval of the commissioners) that all the parishes forming it should for the purposes of settlement be considered as one parish . It is to be observed that, for the purposes of relief, settlement and removal and See also:

• BURIAL

burial, the workhouse of any parish is considered as situated in the parish to which each poor person is chargeable . There may be a settlement by parentage, for legitimate children take the settlement of their See also:

• FATHER

father, or if he has no settlement they are entitled to the settlement of their See also:

• MOTHER

mother; and it is only when both these See also:

• SOURCES

sources fail See also:

• DISCOVERY

discovery that their right of settlement by birth accrues; for until the settlement of the father or mother has been ascertained the settlement of a legitimate child, like that of a See also:

• BASTARD (O. Fr. bastard, mod. bdtard = fits de bast, "pack-saddle child," from bast, saddle)

bastard, is in the place where the birth took place . A settlement attaches to those persons who have a settlement of some kind . Foreigners See also:

• BORN, IGNAZ, EDLER VON (1742–1791)

born out of the country and not acquiring any in one of the modes pointed out must be provided for, if requiring relief, where they happen to be . As the See also:

• BURDEN, or BURTHEN

burden of maintaining the poor is thrown on the parish of settlement, when the necessity for immediate relief arises in another parish, the important question arises whether the pauper can be removed; for, although the parish where the pauper happens to be must afford immediate relief without waiting for removal, the parish of settlement cannot in general be charged with the cost unless the pauper is capable of being removed . The question of removability is distinct from settlement . A pauper often acquires a status or irremovability without gaining a settlement . Irremovability is a principle of great public importance quite irrespective of the incident of cost as between one parish or another . Before the introduction of a status of irremovability removal might take place (subject to powers of suspension in case of sickness and otherwise) after any See also:

• INTERVAL

interval during which no legal settlement was obtained; See also:

• MERE
• MERE, ADALBERT (1838-1909)

mere length of residence without concurrent circumstances involving the acquisition of a settlement on obtaining relief gave no right to a person to remain in the parish where he resided . In 1846 it was enacted that no person should be removed nor any See also:

• WARRANT (Med. Lat. warantum; O. Fr. garant, warant, derived from O.H.G. root represented in modern German bygewdhren)

warrant granted for the removal of any person from any parish in which such persons had resided for five years (9 & to Viet. c . 66) .

In 1861 three years was submitted for five (24 & 25 Vict. c . 55); and only four years later one year was substituted for three (28 & 29 Vict. c . 79) . Apart from these reductions of time in giving the status of irremovability, actual removals to the parish of settlement were narrowed by provisions giving to residence in any part of a union the same effect as a residence in any parish of that. union (24 & 25 Vict. c . 55) . On the other hand the time during which parish relief is received, or during which the person is in any poorhouse or See also:

• HOSPITAL (Lat. haspitalis, the adjective of hospes, host or guest)

hospital or in a See also:

• PRISON (derived through the Fr. from the Lat. prehensio, seizure)

prison, is excluded from the computation of time (9 & 10 Vict. c . 66) . The removability as well as the settlement of the See also:

• FAMILY

family, i.e. of the wife and unemancipated children, are practically subject to one and the same general rule . Wherever any person has a wife or children having another settlement, they are removable where he is removable, and are not removable from any parish or place from which he is not removable (II & 12 Vict . C . 211) . It is to be See also:

• BORNE, KARL LUDWIG (1786–1837)

borne in mind that no person exempted from liability to be removed acquires, by See also:

• REASON (Lat. ratio, through French raison)

reason of such exemption, any settlement in any parish; but a residence for three years gives a qualified settlement (39 & 40 Vict .

C . 61) . The cost of relief of paupers rendered irremovable is borne by the common fund of the union (If & 12 Vict. c . 110, § 3) as union expenses (§ 6), and any question arising in the union with reference to thecharging relief may be referred to and decided by the local government board (§ 4) . The poor rate is the fund from which the cost of relief is principally derived . The statute of Elizabeth (extended in some respects as to places by 13 & 14 See also:

• CHARLES
• CHARLES (1270-1325)
• CHARLES (1421-1461)
• CHARLES (1525-1574)
• CHARLES (c. 1319-1364)
• CHARLES (Fr. Charles; Span. Carlos; Ital. Carlo; Ger. Karl; derived from O.H.G. Charal,latinized as Carolus, meaning originally " man ": cf. Mod.Ger., Kerl," fellow," A.S. ceorl, Mod. Eng. " churl ")
• CHARLES (KARL EITEL ZEPHYRIN LUDWIG; in Rum. CAROL)
• CHARLES [KARL ALEXANDER] (1712-1780)
• CHARLES, ELIZABETH (1828-1896)
• CHARLES, JACQUES ALEXANDRE CESAR (1746-1823)
• CHARLES, THOMAS (1755-1814)

Charles II. c . 12) embraced poor Rate. two classes of persons subject to See also:

• TAXATION
• TAXATION (from " tax," derived, through the French, from Lat. taxare, to appraise, which again is connected with the same root as tangere, to touch)

taxation—occupiers of real property and inhabitants in respect of See also:

• PERSONAL

personal property, although the rateability under the latter See also:

• HEAD (in 0. Eng. heafad; the word is common to Teutonic languages; cf. Dutch hoofd, Ger. Haupt, generally taken to be in origin connected with Lat. caput, Gr. KerbOvi7)
• HEAD, SIR EDMUND WALKER, BART
• HEAD, SIR FRANCIS BOND, BART

head was reluctantly conceded by the courts of law, and was in practice only partially acted upon . As regards occupiers of land and houses, the correct principles as to the persons liable to be rated were, after many erroneous views and decisions, established by the House of Lords in 1865 in the case of the See also:

• MERSEY

Mersey docks . The only occupier exempt from the operation of the act of Elizabeth is the See also:

• CROWN

Crown, on the general principle that such liabilities are not imposed on the See also:

• SOVEREIGN

sovereign unless expressly mentioned, and that principle applies to the direct and immediate servants of the Crown, whose occupation is the occupation of the Crown itself . If there is a personal private beneficial occupation, so that the occupation is by the subject, that occupation is rateable . Thus for apartments in a royal See also:

• PALACE (Lat. Palatium, the name given by Augustus to his residence on the Palatine Hill)

palace, gratuitously assigned to a subject, who occupies them by permission of the sovereign but for the subject's benefit, the latter is rateable; on the other hand, where a lease of private property is taken in the name of a subject, but the occupation is by the sovereign or his subjects on his behalf, no rate can be imposed . So far the ground of exemption is perfectly intelligible, but it has been carried a good deal further, and applied to many cases in which it can scarcely be said naturally, but only theoretically, that the sovereign or the servants of the sovereign are in occupation .

A long See also:

• SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

series of cases have established that when property is occupied for the purposes of the government of the country, including under that head the See also:

• POLICE (Fr. police, government, civil administration, a police force, Gr. sroXumeia, constitution, condition of a state, roars, city, state)

police, and the administration ofYjustice, no one is rateable in respect of such occupation . And this applies not only to property occupied for such purposes by the servants of the great departments of state and the See also:

• POST

post office, the See also:

• HORSE (a word common to Teutonic languages in such forms as hors, hros, ros; cf. the Ger. ross)

Horse See also:

• GUARDS, AND HOUSEHOLD TROOPS

Guards, and the See also:

• ADMIRALTY, HIGH COURT OF

Admiralty, in all which cases the occupiers might strictly be called the servants of the Crown, but to county buildings occupied for the assizes and for the See also:

• JUDGE (Lat. judex, Fr. juge)

judge's lodgings, to stations for the local constabulary, to jails and to county courts where undertakings are carried out by or for the government and the government is in occupation; the same principles of exemption have been applied to property held by the office of works . When the property. is not de facto occupied by the Crown or for the Crown, it is rateable; and, although formerly the uses of property for public purposes, even where the Crown was not constructively interested in the way above pointed out, was treated as a ground for exemption, it is now settled that trustees who are in law the tenants and occupiers of valuable property in See also:

• TRUST

trust for public and even charitable purposes, such as hospitals or lunatic asylums, are in principle rateable notwithstanding that the buildings are actually occupied by paupers who are sick or insane, and that the notion that persons in the legal occupation of valuable property are not rateable if they occupy in a merely fiduciary character cannot be sustained . With respect to the particular person to be rated where there is a rateable occupation, it is to be observed that the See also:

• TENANT (from Lat. tenere, to hold)

tenant, as distinguished from the landlord, is the person to be rated under the statute of Elizabeth; but occupiers of tenements let for short terms may deduct the poor rate paid by them from their rents, or the vestries may order such owners to be rated instead of the occupiers; such payments or deductions do not affect qualification and franchises depending on rating (Poqr Rate See also:

• ASSESSMENT, (from Lat. assessare, to sit beside, to judge)

Assessment and Collection Act 1869 and Amendment Act 1882) . To be rated the occupation must be such as to be of value, and in this sense the word beneficial occupation has been used in many cases . But it is not necessary that the occupation should be beneficial to the occupier; for, if that were necessary, trustees occupying for various purposes, having no beneficial occupation, would not be liable, and their general liability has been established as indicated in the examples just given . As to the mode and amount of rating it is no exaggeration to say that the application of a landlord-and-tenant valuation in the terms already given in the Parochial Assessment Act, with the deductions there mentioned, has given rise to litigation on which millions of pounds have been spent with respect to the rating of See also:

• RAILWAYS

railways alone, although the established principle applied to them, after much consideration, is to calculate the value of the land as increased by the See also:

• LINE

line . The Parochial Assessment Act referred to (6 & 7 Will . IV. c . 96), comprising various provisions as to the mode of assessing the rate so far as it authorized the making of a valuation, was repealed in 1869, in relation to the metropolis, and other provisions made for securing uniformity of the assessment of rateable property there (32 & 33 Vict. c . 67) . The mode in which a rate is made and recovered may be concisely stated thus .

The guardians appoint an assessment committee of their body for the investigation and supervision of valuations, which are made out in the first instance by the overseers according to specific regulations and in a form showing among other headings the See also:

• GROSS

gross estimated rental of all property and the names of occupiers and owners, and the rateable value after the deductions specified in the Assessment Act already mentioned, and as prescribed by the central board . This valuation list, made and signed by the overseers, is published, and all persons assessed or liable to be assessed, and other interested parties, may, including the officers of other parishes, inspect and take copies of and extracts from that list . A multitude of provisions exist in relation to the valuation and supplemental valuation lists . Objections on the ground of unfairness or incorrectness are dealt with by the committee, who hold meetings to hear and determine such objections . The valuation list, where approved by the committee, is delivered to the overseers, who proceed to make the rate in accordance with the valuation lists and in a prescribed form of rate See also:

• BOOK

book . The parish officers certify to the examination and comparison of the rate book with the assessments, and obtain the consent of justices as required by the statute of Elizabeth . This consent or allowance of the rate is merely a ministerial act, and if the rate is good on the See also:

• FACE (from Lat. fades, derived either from facere, to make, or from a root fa-, meaning " appear "; cf. Gr. cbatvstv)

face of it the justices cannot inquire into its validity . The rate is then published and open to inspection . Appeals may be made to special or See also:

• QUARTER (through Fr. from Lat. quartarius, fourth part)

quarter sessions against the rate, subject to the restriction that, if t