The impact of the New Poor Law on livelihoods of the poor in north Wales

"By the 1830s, parishes in north-west Wales had developed a low-cost system of poor relief that suited the area’s largely informal economy. Poor relief was mainly used to top up the inadequate earnings of the elderly, single women adversely affected by declining proto-industrial earnings, and agricultural labourers with large families, while non-resident relief was widely paid to encourage migration. These practices were challenged by the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, which sought to draw a clear distinction between the able-bodied and the aged and infirm, and to curtail poor relief for able-bodied men except through a workhouse. Previous research has revealed considerable regional and local variation in the way the New Poor Law was implemented in England. However the detailed deconstruction of outdoor relief practice remains relatively rare and the impact of the Act in Wales has been little studied. This paper examines the impact of the New Poor Law on the livelihoods of the poor in north Wales through a case study of the Llanrwst Poor Law Union. It analyses over 1,400 poor relief cases in the union’s first year of operation to build up a picture of the ages, occupations and family situation of paupers, and how relief practice changed after the implementation of the New Poor Law. Three key factors are identified in shaping outcomes: whether elected union guardians saw the New Poor Law aims as cost-effective and relevant to local needs; the ability of the area’s Assistant Poor Law Commissioner to convince the board of the legal requirement for change; and the increased agency of the poor themselves."