Piece
See MH 82/12
Catalogue reference: MH 82/49
Date: 1954 Sept 16-1956 Nov 15
See MH 82/12
Item
Folios 154-155. [Continued from MH 12/14016/] A Letter from Henry Saunders, Clerk...
Catalogue reference: MH 12/14016/82
What’s it about?
This record is about the Folios 154-155. [Continued from MH 12/14016/] A Letter from Henry Saunders, Clerk... dating from 1 Feb 1837 - 28 Feb 1837 in the series Local Government Board and predecessors: Correspondence with Poor Law Unions and.... It is held at The National Archives, Kew.
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Full description and record details
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Reference (The unique identifier to the record described, used to order and refer to it)
- MH 12/14016/82
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Date (When the record was created)
- 1 Feb 1837 - 28 Feb 1837
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Description (What the record is about)
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- Content
- Folios 154-155. [Continued from MH 12/14016/] A Letter from Henry Saunders, Clerk to the Guardians of the Kidderminster Poor Law Union, dated 10 February 1837, sent directly to Robert Weale, Assistant Poor Law Commissioner, and enclosed with the documents above, provided the information requested on the Anti Poor Law Act meeting in Kidderminster. Saunders conveys a low opinion of the meeting, and the participants, as well as questioning the validity of the petition. His letter contains the following information: The meeting was not officially publicised in advance. The Wheatsheaf Inn, where the meeting took place, he says, is a 'third rate Public House'. The main protagonists were Mr Tuck and Mr Regan. Those present at the meeting were mainly journeymen woolcombers. Saunders is not aware that any of the 'respectable inhabitants' of Kidderminster supported the purpose of the meeting. He has not been able to ascertain how many ratepayers signed the petition; certainly, a minority of the speakers at the meeting were ratepayers. He is surprised at the fourth resolution, claiming that magistrates had opposed the new Poor Law, and gives his reasons. An article in the Kidderminster Messenger newspaper on the day of writing [10 February 1837] states that the petition was 14 yards longand was signed by 3830 people. It seems to have been presented by Mr Walter and a collection of one penny or two pennies [per person] was made to cover expenses. Saunders understands that 'skins of parchment lay at several public and beerhouses for signature'. He thinks that many names were 'attached by proxy' and many would not be resident in Kidderminster. The information on the speakers at the meeting, which Saunders supplied to Weale, is as follows: Tuck and Stevens: both ratepayers and beerhouse keepers, politicians who speak 'as much sense as all the other speakers put together'. Thomas: a Weaver, not a ratepayer, extremely active during the weavers' strike 'some years ago'. Regan: Woolcomber, not a ratepayer, 'a very low fellow and an excellent friend of the pawnbroker'. John Richards: Woolcomber, not a ratepayer. Beaumont: Milkseller, not a Kidderminster resident. S Richards: son of John Richards above, Woolcomber, not a ratepayer. Long: small baker, ratepayer. Parsons, Lucas and Parker: all Shoemakers, not ratepayers. O'Leary: Woolcomber, was a ratepayer, now left town. Paper Number: 1213/C/1837. Poor Law Union Number 530. Counties: Worcestershire, Staffordshire and Shropshire.
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Held by (Who holds the record)
- The National Archives, Kew
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Legal status (A note as to whether the record being described is a Public Record or not)
- Public Record(s)
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Language (The language of the record)
- English
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Closure status (Whether the record is ‘open’ (available to the public) or ‘closed’ (not available due to a legal exemption))
- Open Document, Open Description
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Record URL
- https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C10563198/
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Series information
MH 12
Local Government Board and predecessors: Correspondence with Poor Law Unions and...
See the series level description for more information about this record.
Catalogue hierarchy
Over 27 million records
This record is held at The National Archives, Kew
379,532 records
Within the department: MH
Records created or inherited by the Ministry of Health and successors, Local Government...
90,136 records
Within the series: MH 12
Local Government Board and predecessors: Correspondence with Poor Law Unions and...
243 records
Within the piece: MH 12/14016
Kidderminster 530. (Described at item level).
You are currently looking at the item: MH 12/14016/82
Folios 154-155. [Continued from MH 12/14016/] A Letter from Henry Saunders, Clerk...
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