Piece
See MH 82/12
Catalogue reference: MH 82/49
Date: 1954 Sept 16-1956 Nov 15
See MH 82/12
Item
Folios 192-198. Draft letter from the Poor Law Commission, to Charles Bond, Clerk...
Catalogue reference: MH 12/2099/103
What’s it about?
This record is about the Folios 192-198. Draft letter from the Poor Law Commission, to Charles Bond, Clerk... dating from 21 Aug 1847 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 12/2099/103
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Date (When the record was created)
- 21 Aug 1847
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Description (What the record is about)
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- Content
- Folios 192-198. Draft letter from the Poor Law Commission, to Charles Bond, Clerk to the Guardians of the Axminster Poor Law Union, regarding the case of Elizabeth Spiller and her children. They state they have received a report on the subject from Mr Gulson [Edward Gulson], Assistant Poor Law Commissioner. The following points require attention: 1. The relieving officer gave James Spiller 5s per week during illness and advised them to take the amounts in goods from the shop of Mr Sumption. 2. It was said that Spiller and his family were admitted to the Axminster Workhouse and after 23 weeks the guardians gave them 20s worth of clothes on leaving the house. 3. The overseer gave 5s 6d to the paupers supposedly for the purpose of going to Bridport. 4. The relieving officer gave Elizabeth Spiller and children an order for one night in the Axminster Workhouse telling them to go to Chard the next day. 5. The morning after her admittance into the workhouse the master told her to leave even though she was in a state of destitution and returned to Chard where on applying to the relieving officer she was taken into the Chard Poor Law Union Workhouse. The first point seems to have been satisfactorily explained by the relieving officer who was directed to act as he did by the guardians to do this in cases of emergency. There seem to be no grounds for believing the second point. However the relief given was out door relief and therefore contrary to the Prohibitory Order and should have been referred to the Commissioners. This practice is open to objection. In regard to the third point the relief given appears to not have been charged by the overseer of Chardstock to his poor rate account. He was told the relief was illegal and not to charge it to the poor rate. It is however an illegal act for the overseer to advise them to go out of the parish in which they were chargeable into one in which it is acknowledged they are legally settled, and he has made himself liable to penalty under 9& 10 Vic c 66 s 6. In relation to the fourth point the relieving officer denies telling them to go to Chard or having stated on the ticket that it was for one night only. The fifth point seems a serious charge of misconduct against the master. The master said he had destroyed the first order of admission which was supposed to be for one night only and he also told the board that he destroyed all orders of admission and discharge in his possession. He has been repeatedly cautioned about the state of his papers. The master admits he knew the woman was from Chardstock and that he did not place her in the tramp ward, charging the nights relief to the parish of Chardstock rather than Axminster as with other casual poor. The master is the same man who greatly neglected his duty in regard to the care of the workhouse a few months ago. Therefore, unless the master resigns his office the Commission will issue an order for his dismissal. They request to be informed if the master tenders his resignation and whether it has been accepted. Also enclosed is a draft copy of a letter from the Commission to Mr Duke, Clerk to the Guardians of the Chard Poor Law Union [Somerswet], informing him of Gulson's report and enclosing a copy of the above letter to Mr Bond. Paper Number: 13280/A/1847. Poor Law Union Number 76. Counties: Devon and Dorset.
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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/C10651502/
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Series information
MH 12
Local Government Board and predecessors: Correspondence with Poor Law Unions and...
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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...
318 records
Within the piece: MH 12/2099
Axminster 76. (Described at item level).
You are currently looking at the item: MH 12/2099/103
Folios 192-198. Draft letter from the Poor Law Commission, to Charles Bond, Clerk...
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