... were to be set to work in a workhouse while they continued living at home. The deserving able-bodied were receiving outdoor relief in the form of food, money and clothing. Those who continued begging were to be placed in a house of correction. Pauper children were to be apprenticed to a trade ... those administering the Poor Law were corrupt or had a tendency to exploit laws to their own benefit. Contracts for Poor Law work, for example supplying food, were routinely awarded to local trades- people rather than put out to open tender. Ratepayers suggested that this was one way in which ve...

• Word Count: 3068
• Approx Pages: 12