Piece
See MH 82/12
Catalogue reference: MH 82/46
Date: 1950 Jan 19-1951 Jan 18
See MH 82/12
Item
Folios 230-232. Letter from Thomas Watkins, Clerk to the Guardians of the Cardiff...
Catalogue reference: MH 12/16247/166
What’s it about?
This record is about the Folios 230-232. Letter from Thomas Watkins, Clerk to the Guardians of the Cardiff... dating from 7 Dec 1844 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 12/16247/166
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Date (When the record was created)
- 7 Dec 1844
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Description (What the record is about)
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- Content
- Folios 230-232. Letter from Thomas Watkins, Clerk to the Guardians of the Cardiff Poor Law Union, to Poor Law Commission, forwarding a resolution that the letter relating to bastardy cases be signed by the chairman and vice chairman and forwarded to the Poor Law Commission Enclosed resolution: the guardians of this union are anxious to be favoured with your advice as to the best course to be adopted by them in dealing with bastardy cases under the alteration in this matter made in the last sessions of parliament. Under the previous state of the law when the mother was unable to maintain herself and child the practice in this union was to afford no relief to either out of the workhouse. Instances then were not infrequent of the mother leaving the child in the workhouse chargeable to the parish, whilst she moved away to seek employment. Under the provisions of the Act of last sessions, justices in their orders of affiliation often adjudged that the father of the child shall pay the mother 1s 6d weekly towards the support. The mother then applies to the board of guardians for 6d or 1s weekly to enable her to make up the 2s 6d required to place the child with a nurse, leaving herself free to go into service. The contributors to the rates in small agricultural parishes being mostly tenants as will feel it to be an unreasonable pressure on them to order the mother and child into the house when 6d or 1s weekly relief added to the sum ordered to be paid by the father would enable the mother to place the child at nurse and then gain her own livelihood in service. Sometimes the magistrates are unable to make an order of affiliation owing to the want to corroborate the testimony of the mother of the child. The mother might propose to the parish to apply all the wages she can obtain in service, except what is necessary to purchase clothes, towards the maintenance of the child, if they procure from the guardians a weekly allowance of 1s or 1s 6d to enable her to pay a nurse. In this case also contributors are most anxious not only to save themselves the cost of maintaining the mother and child in the workhouse by payment of so small a sum but they feel disposed to give the mother the opportunity of re-establishing her character by good conduct in service. The repugnance in the public mind to committing young women of previous good character to the common gaol for leaving their children chargeable whilst they are seeking to support themselves, even were the magistrates disposed to send them to such a place would make such commitments of little use. A young woman in either of the cases referred to has often no possible means of escaping imprisonment in the workhouse till her child ceases to be chargeable on the parish, but by abandoning it and subjecting herself to the dreadful alternative of becoming an inmate of a prison and losing every chance of redeeming her character. The guardians beg to be informed by the Commission whether under the altered state of things they recommend an adhesion to the former practice of ordering mother and child into the workhouse or offering partial relief to the mother in the manner before referred to. Signed: Walter Coffin, Chairman, and Robert Oliver Jones, Vice Chairman. Annotated: acknowledge letter. After considering the act it appears to the Commission that the operation of recent legislation in regard to bastardy cases was intended to be kept entirely distinct from the administration of the poor law. Respecting able bodied women receiving outdoor relief also remains the same. The refusal of all relief could only be justified by clear proof that she was not destitute. If she deserts the child she is liable to punishment Paper Number: 19007/B/1844. Poor Law Union Number 613. Counties: Glamorganshire and Monmouthshire.
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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/C10599446/
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Series information
MH 12
Local Government Board and predecessors: Correspondence with Poor Law Unions and...
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Folios 230-232. Letter from Thomas Watkins, Clerk to the Guardians of the Cardiff...
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