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The Scottish poor laws were the statutes concerning poor relief passed in Scotland between 1579 and 1929. Scotland had a different poor law system to England and the workings of the Scottish laws differed greatly to the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 which applied in England and Wales.

In 1579, the Scottish Parliament passed an act which made individual parishes responsible for enumerating their own poor. More than merely enumerate, the purpose of the law was an "inquisition" into the circumstances of the individual poverty, so as to determine whether the poor were able to work, whether they had any other means of subsistence, and whether there were other persons, family or others, who might assist them. The laws at that time codified the need to assist the poor—but at the same time as outlawing what were apparently considered public nuisances: begging and vagrancy. In 1595, Buttock Mail, a Scottish poor rate began to be levied. There was further legislation in 1597 which made the parishes rather than the church responsible for the administration of poor relief. In 1672, magistrates were ordered to build correction houses or workhouses so that beggars could be made to work. In most of Scotland no Poor Rate (local property tax for the relief of the poor) was levied under the old system.

In 1843, a commission of inquiry was set up to suggest improvements to the Scottish poor law system. Proposals suggested included:

• Setting up a board of supervision and parochial boards
• The levying of a poor rate
• Joint poorhouses in urban areas
• An Inspector of the Poor who could examine requests for relief.

Scottish Poor Law Act

After the Act of Union, Scotland retained its distinct legal system and the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 was not applied to Scotland. As in England, it was necessary to reform the poor laws. A commission of inquiry was established in 1843 to determine system reform. This resulted in the Poor Law (Scotland) Act 1845 being passed. This act established parochial boards in parishes and towns and a central Board of Supervision in Edinburgh.

In Scotland the able-bodied poor had no automatic right to poor relief as in England. The Poor Law (Scotland) Act 1845 created a central Board of Supervision which had the ability to raise local taxes to cover poor relief costs. Unlike in England, the Scottish pauper had a legal right to appeal if they were denied poor relief. Outdoor relief was common; however, mismanagement of the system meant that a more restricted system after 1868 which relied more on the poorhouse.

The Archives and Special Collections at the Mitchell Library in Glasgow hold more than 1,000,000 applications for poor relief made by residents of Glasgow and the west of Scotland. These records can prove extremely useful for the family historian, and contain detailed notes and information about the applicants, their families and life.

See also

• Old Scottish Poor Law
• Education Act 1496

References

1. "Workhouse - the Story of Workhouses". users.ox.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 17 February 2001. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
2. "Workhouse - the Story of Workhouses". users.ox.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 17 February 2001. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
3. "British social policy 1601-1948". Archived from the original on 20 July 2007. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
4. In Scotland the more common term for a workhouse was "poorhouse"
5. "Workhouse - the Story of Workhouses". users.ox.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 17 February 2001. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
6. "Workhouse - the Story of Workhouses". users.ox.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 17 February 2001. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
7. "Workhouse - the Story of Workhouses". users.ox.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 17 February 2001. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
8. "Workhouse - the Story of Workhouses". users.ox.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 17 February 2001. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
9. "Knowledge Base - The Poor Law in Scotland After 1845". Scan.org.uk. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
10. BBC - History - Beneath the Surface: A Country of Two Nations
11. Video Interview at the Mitchell Library with Dr. Irene O'Brien, showing an example of a poor law application (February 2008)

External links

• A History of the Scotch Poor Law by Sir George Nicholls

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

• Scottish Poor Laws