The Poor Laws and the Origins of the Welfare State

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Many of the pamphlets on the Poor Laws held in the Library were published in the 19th century and a few were published in the 18th century. The value of this primary source material is to give researchers an insight into the thinking of contemporary politicians and reformers and to see how social policy worked in Britain before the advent of the welfare state. Social policy before the 1940s was the "Poor Law". There are hundreds of pamphlets on this subject in the Library's collection.

18th Century Pamphlets

Some of the oldest pamphlets were published in the 18th century. These are a few examples - "A new scheme for reducing the laws relating to the poor into one Act of Parliament, and to the better providing the impotent poor with necessaries, the industrious with work, and for the correction of the idle poor" published in 1737 (BP165951), "Observations on the number and misery of the poor, on the heavy rates levied for their maintenance and on the general causes of poverty" published in 1765 (HV/228), "A scheme for the better relief and employment of the poor; humbly submitted to the consideration of the Members of both Houses of Parliament" by G. Thomas published in 1765 (HV/321), "Proposals for imploying the poor in and about the city of London without any charge to the publick" by Daniel Defoe published in 1713 (HV/644), and "Reasons humbly submitted to the honourable members of both Houses of Parliament for introducing a law to prevent unnecessary and vexatious removals of the poor thereby to reduce Parish expenses by letting the poor live where they can best earn their bread" published in 1724 (HV/320).

Cost of the Poor Laws

Most of the pamphlets on the Poor Law were published in the 19th Century. Some of the literature reflected the concern about the cost of the poor law. For example: "Proposals to abolish all poor-laws except for the old and infirm: and to establish asylum farms on which to locate the destitute able-bodied poor; who might thereon maintain themselves and benefit the country £18,600,000 annually." (HV/676) This was written by R.J. Morrison Esq. in 1842. Pamphlets like these were written in defense of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act by which poor relief to the able-bodied was given only in the workhouse.

Poor Law Reform

On the other hand there were many pamphlets on the condition of the poor and the need for reform. For example - "Distress in East London" (a letter to the Times by R.D. Baxter in 1867) (BP169370), "The poor man's friend or a few plain words from a plain man who desires to see the poor happy and contented in that situation of life in which it has pleased God to place them" by J. Godfrey (1835) (HV/439) and "Tyranny of poor laws exemplified - Englishmen! tis your little all" published in Bath in 1815. There are pamphlets issued by the State Children's Association, Society for Promoting the Comforts of the Poor, National Committee for the Prevention of Destitution, Association of Poor Law Unions, Poor Law Reform Association, National Council of Social Service, Workhouse Visiting Society as well as Poor Law Commissioners themselves. Many of the early Fabian Tracts also cover poverty and poor relief. The first Fabian tract was entitled "Why are there many poor?".

The pamphlet collection contains material connected with the Poor Law Commission of 1910 both supporting the Minority and Majority reports. Some of these pamphlets were written by Sidney and Beatrice Webb, founders of LSE and the Library. Pamphlets were issued by the Association of Poor Law Unions in England and Wales, National Committee for the Prevention of Destitution and the National Poor Law Reform Association.

There is a tiny pamphlet entitled "A plea for the vagrant" dated 1904. (HV/B24). "War against poverty" written collectively by W.C. Anderson, Ramsay MacDonald, George Bernard Shaw, and the Webbs in 1912 includes a leaflet for a meeting at the Royal Albert Hall (HV/215).

Poor Relief in the 20th Century

The debate continued into the 20th century with a number of interesting and controversial pamphlets: "The reform (!) of the Poor Law" by J. Scur (HV/328) published by the Labour Research Department, "Guilty and proud of it" by the Poplar Board of Guardians 1922 (HV/384), "The development of the humane administration of the poor law under the Poplar Board of Guardians" by George Lansbury, "The Poplar case examined" from the Poor Law Officers Journal 1926 (HV/546), "The truth about the means test: the Poor Law is buried" by Ernest Bevin 1941 (HV565) and "Stop this starvation of mother and child" by M. Brown of the National Unemployed Workers Movement 1935 (HV/C275). There are pamphlets from the London Municipal Society and the National Union of Ratepayers particularly - "Socialism in local government: the abuse of poor law relief-Bermondsey, Southwark, Greenwich, Deptford, Shoreditch, Woolwich" (HV/582). There is also a typed report on the administration of poor relief during the coal strike of 1926 (fHV/108).

Poor Relief for Women and Children

There are a number of pamphlets on the specific areas of welfare for women and children, including the case for nurseries - for example, "You can get a war-time nursery in your district"- by the London Womens Parliament (HV/B51) and "Company day nurseries" issued by the Institute of Personnel Management in the 1970s. There are some pamphlets issued by the Womens Industrial Council and one entitled "Reading Communal kitchen" by D. Marsh published in 1917 (HV/D380). Examples of pamphlets on child emigration include "Emigration to Canada of Poor Law children" by F. Philip (HV/D372) and "What shall we do with our pauper children: a paper read at the Social Science Association, Dublin" by M. Carpenter 1861 (HV/C190).

Family Allowances

There are a number of pamphlets from organisations which campaigned on the issue of family allowances. One of them, published by the Family Endowment Society, contains addresses made at the the First Public Conference on Family Allowances held at LSE in 1927 by Beveridge and other speakers (HD4/135). "Family allowances: an Aylesbury broadside" is a reprint from the Lancet in 1940 (HD4/205). There are pamphlets published by the National Union of Societies for Equal Citizenship in 1920 (HD4/17) and the National Industrial Alliance- "The case for and against family allowances" in 1939 (HD4/400). Pamphlets published by political parties include "Families and incomes: the case for childrens' allowances" written by H. Brailsford and published by the Independent Labour Party in 1926 (HD4/209), "Note for the study of family allowances" published by the Cooperative Women's Guild in 1925 (HD4/376) and "Family allowances: a socialist analysis" published by the Socialist Party of Great Britain in 1943 (HD4/350).

The Welfare State

After 1945 the Poor Laws were replaced by the Welfare State. In the 1950s and 1960s pamphlets on social policy have been published by the main political parties and research institutions and pressure groups such as the National Council for One Parent Families, Royal Institute of Public Administration, National Corporation for the Care of Old People, Child Poverty Action Group, Association for Multi-racial Playgroups, National Council for the Single Woman and her Dependents, Age Concern and the National Association of Children's Nurseries as well as the Trades Union Congress and the Fabian Society. Poverty is treated as a minority problem faced by groups such as the aged and single parents. Pamphlets issued by organisations such as the Adam Smith Institute and the Policy Studies Institute have called into question the basis of the Welfare State as the foundation of post 1945 social policy.

The majority of the pamphlets contain material about the history of social policy and the Poor Laws in Britain, but there are pamphlets from other countries including the USA, France, Scandinavia, Germany and Japan. There is a collection from the Childrens Aid Society in the USA, dating from the 19th century. One example is entitled "Best methods of disposing of our pauper and vagrant children" by C.L. Brace (HV/120).

Search for pamphlets on the poor laws and origins of the welfare state under the following subject headings: Poor Laws; Poor; Poverty; United Kingdom-Social Policy (or Great Britain-Social Policy); Workhouses; Children-Social Conditions; Women-Social Conditions; Family Allowances; Welfare State; Public Welfare.

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