Poverty&Paupers: the New Poor Law in England&Wales

History: New Poor Law. Augmenting key free resource for England/Wales. Writing a history of the NPL in Wales. British Acad and AHRC funded.
#Paupers
#Workhouse

[Poverty&Paupers: the New Poor Law in England&Wales @TheirWrite]

Free CPD event for primary/secondary #history_teachers using primary sources in their 19thC #history teaching.
This CPD day introduces poor law letters (and context) to teachers - we have made 1000s of such letter transcripts & resources free.
https://t.co/3FmazPnNis
@TheirWrite

[Poverty&Paupers: the New Poor Law in England&Wales @TheirWrite]

gates’. She said ‘Old Beef... given to my Brother & the others is quite black and so hard & tuff that the Poor People cannot chew or masticate it & the Meates & other Foods are so spoiled… Poor people cannot eat them... & continually complain of hunger & half #starved’.
#Wales

[Poverty&Paupers: the New Poor Law in England&Wales @TheirWrite]

Case from @TheirWrite f'coming book on #Petty_Tyranny_and_Oppression(#New_Poor_Law).Aug 1859 Fanny Hitchins, #pauper, wrote she was refused taking milk & oranges to her brother (inmate in the #Abergavenny #workhouse) and ‘was struck & nocked away by the Master & turned from the..

[Poverty&Paupers: the New Poor Law in England&Wales @TheirWrite]

24 Apr 2026: #Festival_of_Social_History (organised by Social History Society & Inst of Historical Research. A great team of speakers is set up (inc. our own Paul Carter, speaking on the #New_Poor_Law/ #pauper letters/correspondence/resources).
Details: https://t.co/R2NrsMjKXh

[Poverty&Paupers: the New Poor Law in England&Wales @TheirWrite]

At the moment Bernard is working on #pauper_punishments under the #New_Poor_Law (example here from the #Swansea_Union). Looking forward to it coming out.

[Bernard Lewis @BernardLewis8]

A page from the Swansea Workhouse punishment book... (West Glamorgan Archive Service).

[Poverty&Paupers: the New Poor Law in England&Wales @TheirWrite]

@BernardLewis8 Hello Bernard. I am very much looking forward to your publication on pauper punishments based on this material. Do let me know when it is out.

[Poverty&Paupers: the New Poor Law in England&Wales @TheirWrite]

asked, why did you not apply for help? The answer was they had been struggling and enduring, thinking that a better state of things would come and they would be able to manage without asking for relief or going to the parish; they would rather die than go into the #workhouse'.

[Poverty&Paupers: the New Poor Law in England&Wales @TheirWrite]

Case from @TheirWrite forthcoming book on #Petty_Tyranny_and_Oppression (#New_Poor_Law) concerning #Bedford in 1863.
‘Whole families were found lying on straw with nothing to cover them; and no furniture in the house – all the furniture had been sacrificed for food. They were...

[Poverty&Paupers: the New Poor Law in England&Wales @TheirWrite]

@BernardLewis8 @LPPbooks Oh man - I love a history dataset. I've seen a few #New_Poor_Law punish't books for English/Welsh union #workhouses & written with Steven King & Jeff James on the Southwell punish't book (a local ref library might have access). More work here is needed.

https://t.co/lFCLM1sBWY

[Poverty&Paupers: the New Poor Law in England&Wales @TheirWrite]

We (Paul Carter & Steve King) are finalizing proofs of our forthcoming book (May/June 2026) on #tyranny & oppression in #English & #Welsh #workhouses 1790-1914 - covers accusations of
#beatings/#reduced_diets/#complaints_ignored/#negllect.
Book launch details to follows
@LPPbooks

[Poverty&Paupers: the New Poor Law in England&Wales @TheirWrite]

@BernardLewis8 @LPPbooks Hi Bernard, that sounds grand. Do let us know when it comes out. @TheirWrite has just began a major funded piece of research into the New Poor Law in Wales (1834-1930). We would be really interested in what you find.

[Poverty&Paupers: the New Poor Law in England&Wales @TheirWrite]

'Writing under stress': meaning and materiality of pauper letters. Free workshops by the Nottingham Trent University and Cumbria Archives.
Wed 15 Apr 2026 and Thurs 16 Apr 2026, 10am to 4.15pm, Carlisle Archive Centre, Petteril Bank Rd, Carlisle CA1 3AJ
https://t.co/MwexG6BeE7

[Poverty&Paupers: the New Poor Law in England&Wales @TheirWrite]

@CumbriaArchives This will be awesome. If you you can get to it - then get to it. A cracking line-up and cracking sources.

[Poverty&Paupers: the New Poor Law in England&Wales @TheirWrite]

(We) Paul Carter & Steve King at @TheirWrite are now proofing our next book - examining petty #tyranny towards #paupers in #English & #Welsh #workhouses c.1780s-1914. We have sourced 000s of cases in the archives over the years. We'll keep you up to date!
#poverty
#poor
#history

[Poverty&Paupers: the New Poor Law in England&Wales @TheirWrite]

Join us at @TheirWrite for Olwen Purdue (Queens University Belfast) on ‘To the ends of empire: the migration of Belfast's #workhousechildren to Canada 1900-1914’. Free online seminar: 3 Feb at 5pm.
@UkNatArchives
@UKNatArcEdu
#Workhouses #poverty #Poor

https://t.co/e8lmIy9xFC.

[Poverty&Paupers: the New Poor Law in England&Wales @TheirWrite]

Paul Carter and Steve King: 'Tyranny observed'. Free seminar on #pauper cases from the forthcoming book 'Petty Tyranny & Oppression: Lives Under the Long 19th Century Poor Laws'. Tues 6 Jan 2026, 5pm
@UkNatArchives
@UKNatArcEdu
#Workhouses #poverty #Poor
https://t.co/RhkCWvCiqd

[Poverty&Paupers: the New Poor Law in England&Wales @TheirWrite]

From @UkNatArchives "Stories from the Collection". Thomas Henshaw's (from Ilkeston) letter to the Poor Law Commission, 1842, complains of treatment by officials denying him relief.
#Testimony_of_the_Victorian_Poor: @BritishAcademy funded.
#Pauper_letter.
https://t.co/lSwmjaXk9l

[Poverty&Paupers: the New Poor Law in England&Wales @TheirWrite]

@wdytyamagazine Linking in with this - we at @theirwrite have been uncovering English and Welsh #pauper_letters. For update on our #Testimony_of_the_Victorian_Poor, c.1834-1900 project funded by @BritishAcademy_ see: https://t.co/BNTzy3ktBW

[Poverty&Paupers: the New Poor Law in England&Wales @TheirWrite]

Recently, the #Testimony_of_the_Victorian_Poor, c.1834-1900 project staff & volunteers led by @UkNatArchives & @NottmTrentUni have been uncovering English and Welsh #pauper_letters for transcription & loading to the Web.
For update see:
https://t.co/BNTzy3ktBW
#Poverty
#Workhouse

[Poverty&Paupers: the New Poor Law in England&Wales @TheirWrite]

@LizanneLloyd I am very late to the party! - but it would be interesting to know what the paupers thought about this - bearing in mind Sim's 'Christmas Day in the Workhouse' poem'. Did they accept it as Christian charity or condemn the hypocrisy of being treated well only one day in the year.