Devon County Council

PRINTED BOOKS

Introductory booklets:-

• Ann Cole, An Introduction to Poor Law Documents before 1834 , Federation of Family History Societies (1995)
• Eve McLaughlin, Annals of the Poor (1990)
• Andy Reid, The Union Workhouse: A Study Guide for Teachers and Local Historians, publ. for British Association for Local History by Phillimore, 1994
• Eve McLaughlin, Illegitimacy
• General books including poor law records:-
• W.E.Tate, The Parish Chest (1951), p. 188
• John West, Village Records (1982)
• W.B. Stephens, Sources for English Local History, Phillimore (1994), p. 99
• The Poor Laws in practice:-
• The Compleat Parish Officer, Wiltshire Family History Society, (facsimile edn.,1996)
• The Handy Book of Parish Law, Wiltshire Family History Society, (facsimile edn., 1995)
• S. Wheeleker and S. Eyles. Exeter, Poor relief in Devon: two A-level personal studies, Devonshire Association (1991) 40p: diagrs. [WSL p362.58/DEV/WHE]
• Paul Slack, The English Poor Law, 1531–1782, Cambridge Univ. Press (1995)
• Sources and their location:-
• Jeremy Gibson and others, POOR LAW UNION RECORDS, Gibson Guides; 4 booklets, FFHS in association with Jeremy Gibson. Parts 1-3 list the records of the Unions created under the New Poor Law of 1834.
• SOUTH EAST & EAST ANGLIA: with Colin Rogers & Cliff Webb (2nd edn)
• THE MIDLANDS & NORTHERN ENGLAND: with Colin Rogers (2nd edn)
• SOUTH WEST ENGLAND, THE MARCHES & WALES: with Colin Rogers (2nd edn, 2000)
• GAZETTEER OF ENGLAND & WALES: with F.A.Youngs (2nd edn 1997) County by county, each PLU & its constituent places: a guide to the local administrative units of England & Wales. Also useful when seeking places within civil registration & census districts.

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WEBSITES

• http://www.workhouses.org.uk/  A large website devoted to the history of the Poor Laws and Poor Law Union workhouses in Britain and the Republic of Ireland
• http://www.workhouses.co.uk/  Another website devoted to workhouses. This site links to workhouses within the United Kingdom, and includes the poor laws, the way of life for the inmates, and the buildings.
• Devon is found at  http://www.workhouses.co.uk/devonshire.htm
• http://genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk/DEV/  Genuki Devon has a section on poor law with links to other sites, most of which are listed here.
• http://www.thepotteries.org/dates/poor.htm  Website giving key dates in Poor Law and Relief in Great Britain 1300 - 1899.  Part of a larger website giving key dates in the sociological history and development of Great Britain.
• http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/workhouse/  The National Trust's website on Southwell Workhouse, Nottinghamshire, which is being restored as a national monument to the Poor Laws and the poor.
• learningcurve.pro.gov.uk/snapshots/snapshot08/snapshot8.htm  The National Archives education - snapshots website has this page on the Poor Law and the Reform Act of 1834 (you don't have to do the on-line test!)
• http://www.umd.umich.edu/casl/hum/eng/classes/434/charweb/OLDPOORL.htm  Article titled "The Old Poor Law In England" by Patrick Marcoux, from a University Of Michigan students' website containing interlinked student research projects on a variety of topics relating to 19th century England.
• http://www.umd.umich.edu/casl/hum/eng/classes/434/charweb/NEWPOORL.htm  Article titled "The New Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, again by Patrick Marcoux, from the above University Of Michigan students' website.
• http://www.umd.umich.edu/casl/hum/eng/classes/434/charweb/WORKHOUS.htm  Article titled " The Workhouse" by Patrick Marcoux, from the above University Of Michigan students' website.
• http://www.mitchelmore.info/history/poorlaw.htm  Bob Muchamore's family history website has an article explaining the history of the poor laws at the parish level, with typed transcripts of example documents from Devon Overseers of the Poor records.
• http://www.mdlp.co.uk/resources/general/poor_law.htm  The Parsons family history website has an article titled "A Brief Explanation of the Poor Law in respect of Rural Communities 1601 - 1834".
• http://www.webworkhouse.com/workhouse.htmwww.webworkhouse.com/workhouse.htm  A webpage with photographs of Bawnboy Workhouse, Cavan, Ireland.
• http://www.staffs.ac.uk/schools/humanities_and_soc_sciences/census/unions.htm  Information on how the Poor Law Union boundaries were drawn up in 1834 by amalgamating adjoining parishes, townships and other places.
• catalogue.pro.gov.uk/ExternalRequest.asp?RequestReference=ri2178  Centralised The National Archives records relating to the administration of the Poor Law, 1834-1871.
• http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/PoorLawRecs.htm  Somerset Record Office's web-page on Poor Law Union records and workhouses.
• http://www.historyhome.co.uk/peel/pltopic.htm  Website on Poor Law with links to a number of pages of primary sources and information.  Part of a site about Sir Robert Peel.
• http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/s13.htm  Source Database : Section 13: The Poor Law, published on -line by Spartacus - a small educational publishing company formed by a group of teachers in 1986, and committed to providing free resources for the Internet community.