Misplaced Pages

Act of Parliament
Parliament of England
Long title	An Act for the Relief of the Poor.
Citation	39 Eliz. 1. c. 3
Dates
Royal assent	9 February 1598
Commencement	24 October 1597
Repealed	28 July 1863
Other legislation
Amended by	Poor Relief Act 1601
Repealed by	Statute Law Revision Act 1863
Status: Repealed

The Act for the Relief of the Poor 1597 was a piece of poor-law legislation in England and Wales. It provided the first complete code of poor relief and was later amended by the Poor Relief Act 1601, which formed the basis of poor relief for the next two centuries.

The Act established overseers of the poor.

References

1. Key dates in Poor Law and Relief Great Britain 1300–1899

v t e Poor laws of the British Isles
Poor laws by territory	England and Wales Scotland Ireland Isle of Man	Nantwich workhouse
Old Poor Law	Vagabonds and Beggars Act 1494 Tudor poor laws Poor Relief Act 1597 Poor Relief Act 1601 Poor Relief Act 1662 Relief of the Poor Act 1696 Poor Relief Act 1722 Relief of the Poor Act 1782 House of correction Overseer of the poor Poor rate Poor relief Buttock mail
Relief systems	Outdoor relief 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 poorhouse
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	Christmas Day in the Workhouse Historiography of the Poor Laws Timeline of the English 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

This legislation in England article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

• English Poor Laws
• Acts of the Parliament of England (1485–1603)
• 1597 in law
• 1597 in England
• England statute stubs