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When referring to this work, the full bibliographic details must be given as follows: Ramsbottom, Martin (2011) Christopher Waddington’s Peers : A Study of the Workings of the Poor Law in townships of the Fylde of Lancashire - 1803 to 1865, PhD Thesis, Oxford Brookes University go/radar www.brookes.ac.uk/ Directorate of Learning Resources Christopher Waddington’s Peers ~~~~~~~~ A Study of the Workings of the Poor Law in townships of the Fylde of Lancashire - 1803 to 1865 ~~~~~~~~ Martin Ramsbottom ~~~~~~~~~ Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Oxford Brookes University for the award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2011 ~~~~~ CONTENTS ~~~~~~~~~~ Acknowledgements i Abstract ii Abbreviations iii List of Figures, Tables, Maps and Illustrations iv Introduction 1 Chapter One Pauperdom - Historiography and Legislation 9 Chapter Two Lancashire, Kirkham and Lund in Context 44 Chapter Three The Poor in Kirkham and Lund 1803 to 1820 - An Overview 67 Chapter Four The Poor in Kirkham and Lund 1803 to 1820 Who got What – and How Much 107 Chapter Five The Poor in Kirkham and Lund 1820 to 1834 184 Chapter Six The Era of the Guardians – 1845 to 1865 222 Chapter Seven Conclusion 278 Bibliography 290 Appendix Answer to Rural Questions – Chapelry of Lund 303 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Acknowledgements Any research student owes a debt to many people. Mine is considerable and my thanks go to all of them. My first acknowledgement must surely go to Norman Longmate. It was a serendipitous acquaintance with his book “The Workhouse” which first stimulated my interest in this absorbing topic. Next, and very close behind, to my Supervisors at Oxford Brookes, Professor Anne Digby and Professor Steven King, who, in an earlier manifestation at the University of Central Lancashire, encouraged me to develop my Master’s Degree Dissertation, and to his successor at Oxford Brookes, Dr. Peter Jones. Without their guidance this Thesis would never have been completed. I should also like to thank other members of the Oxford Brookes community particularly Miss Jill Organ and the staff in the Graduate Office, Dr. Carole Beadle, Dr. Natalie Aubert and the friendly Security Guards who always found me a parking space. Their collective help and guidance in times of need proved invaluable. My thanks also to the staffs of the Lancashire County Library, particularly the Lytham, Kirkham, St. Annes and Preston Harris Libraries, their colleagues in the Library of Oxford Brookes and Central Lancashire Universities and the archivists at the Lancashire Record Office. All responded to my requests for help and information in a variety of forms with unfailing alacrity and courtesy. Next, to those who have helped me by the loan of documents and the provision of references and other material. These include Mrs. Barbara Kay who drew my attention to the Kirkham Bailiffs’’ Book and the Chairman of the Kirkham United Charities who gave me permission to make use of it; to Mrs. Eileen Morgan for the loan of the Lund Poor’s Book; Dr. Alan Crosby for references. maps and continuing interest; Professor Michael Gorsky for his comments on friendly societies; Dr. Alannah Tomkins for advanced sight of her book on “The Experience of Poverty,” Professor Steve Hindle for the text of his 2008 lecture to the British Association for Local History and David Kirby and Peter Shakeshaft for access to the Freckleton Overseer’s Books. Penultimately, to my daughters Carol, Gail, Paula, Kay and Joanne who have taken a continuing interest and provided encouragement and food; to my former colleagues in the Lancashire County Library, Miss Diana Winterbotham, M.B.E., F.L.A. and Miss Gill Entwistle, B.A., A.L.A. who also spurred me on and to my fellow-student at Brookes, Miss Margaret Hanley, B.A. for moans and shoulders. Finally, and above all, to my fellow Brookes student, former colleague in the Library Service and great friend, Dr. Elaine Bevan, M.A., Dip. Loc. Hist., who kept my attention focussed when it attempted to stray and discouraged me from playing hooky. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ i Abstract This thesis takes up the call of historiographers for further and detailed studies into the workings of both the Old and the New Poor Law at the local level. By a close examination of three townships of an ancient Fylde, Lancashire, parish and of its successor union it seeks to answer three questions. Firstly, whilst it is accepted that there were differences in the operation of the Old Poor Law between the north and west and south and east of the country, the question is asked as to how far down the relief chain did the differences penetrate. Was their uniformity at Regional, sub-regional or county level or did the divergence penetrate to parish or even township level. The assertion here is that even the smallest townships looked after their poor as they saw fit and that there was no over-arching parish policy let alone one at county or sub-region. Secondly, to what extent did the introduction of the New Poor Law affect the poor themselves. Did they notice any difference or did they not. This thesis suggests that certainly in the Fylde they would have noticed some differences but these were more in the administration of relief rather than in the relief itself. Here again there was diversity of practice. Thirdly, the question of the alleged cruelty of the Workhouses under the New Poor Law as it operated in the Fylde is briefly considered and it is shown that inmates of the Fylde Union Workhouse were relatively fortunate as far as living conditions were concerned and that the ‘less eligibility’ arose not from these but from the fact of their being deprived of their independence. The cruelty, if there were any, was largely psychological than physical. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ii Abbreviations C.N.W.R.S. Centre for North-West Regional Studies, Lancaster University C.O.E.D. Concise Oxford English Dictionary D.N.B. Dictionary of National Biography H.M.S.O. His Majesty’s Stationery Office H.S.L.C. Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire L.C.A.S. Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society L.F.H.S. Lancashire Family History and Heraldry Society L.R.O. Lancashire Record Office P.P. Parliamentary Papers T.N.A. The National Archive T.S.O. The Stationery Office ~~~~~~~~~~ iii List of Figures, Tables, Maps and Illustrations Figures 2.1 Kirkham – Trades & Services – 1851 - % 57 2.2 Kirkham – Occupations of Heads of Households 1851 - % 58 2.3 Kirkham – Social Classification of Heads of Households 1851 - % 58 2.4 Newton-with-Scales & Clifton-with-Salwick Occupations of Heads of Households – 1851 - % 63 3.1 Kirkham - Numbers of Paupers Relieved - 1796 to 1816 68 3.2 Kirkham – Poor Relief Expenditure - 1804 to 1816 - £s 83 3.3 Kirkham – Movement of Prices and Poor Relief - 1804 to 1816 85 3.4 Kirkham and Average of Four Lancashire Towns Poor Relief - 1804 to 1816 - £s 86 3.5 Kirkham, Clifton and Newton – Poor Relief - 1804 to 1816 - £s 87 3.6 Kirkham – Out-Relief and Workhouse Expenditure 89 3.7 Kirkham – Trend of Workhouse Expenditure - 1804 to 1816 - £s 90 3.8 Kirkham – Out-Relief Expenditure - 1804 to 1816 - £s 94 3.9 Kirkham – Number of Paupers Relieved - 1804 to 1816 95 3.10 Kirkham – Paupers by Gender - 1804 to 1816 - % 96 3.11 Kirkham – Out-Relief paid to Male and Female Paupers 1804 to 1816 - % 97 3.12 Kirkham – Numbers of Recipients of Bailiffs’ Charity 1807 to 1819 98 3.13 Kirkham – Numbers of Recipients of both Out-Relief and Bailiffs’ Charity 99 3.14 Newton – Poor Relief Expenditure – 1804 to 1816 – 1816 - £s 100 3.15 Newton – Numbers of Males and Females Relieved 1804 to 1816 - % 101 3.16 Newton – Cash paid to Males and to Females 1804 to 1816 - % 102 3.17 Clifton [1815] Kirkham [1804] and Newton - 1804] 104 Comparison of Out-Relief - % 4.1 Types of Relief Applicants - Totals – 1806 to 1815 - % 110 4.2 Types of Relief Applicants – Annual – 1806 to 1815 - % 111 4.3 Types of Relief Requested – Totals – 1806 to 1815 – Numbers 112 iv 4.4 Types of Relief Requested – Annual – 1806 to 1815 - % 113 4.5 Approval/Rejection of Applications for Relief 1806 to 1815 – Total - % 114 4.6 Approval/Rejection of Applications for Relief 1806 to 1815 – Annual – % 115 4.7 Acceptance/Rejection of Applications by Pauper Groups 1806 to 1815 – Total - % 116 4.8 Success/Failure Rate of Applications by Type – Totals 1806 to 1815 - % 117 4.9 Kirkham – Division of Out-Relief – 1804 to1816 - % 120 4.10 Kirkham – Weekly Pay – Cash to Males and Females 1804 to 1816 - % 121 4.11 Kirkham - Weekly Pay by Numbers of Males and Females 1804 to 1816 - % 122 4.12 Kirkham – Variation in Rates of Weekly Pay 1804 to 1816 - % 123 4.13 Kirkham – Amounts of Weekly Pay to Males 1804 to 1816 - % 124 4.14 Kirkham – Amounts of Weekly Pay to Females 1804 to 1816 - % 125 4.15 Kirkham - Duration of Weekly Pay – 1804 to 1816 - % 125 4.16 Kirkham – Distribution of Cash at Need Payments 1804 to 1816 - % 127 4.17 Kirkham – Division of