Chris Paton
THE REMOVAL OF IRISH PAUPERS FROM BRITAIN
Removal orders, sending paupers back to their parish of settlement, seem particularly harsh in instances where it meant sending folk back to a famine-stricken Ireland. Many were deported from Liverpool
Among the most useful records for ancestral research are those concerning ancestors who made claims for poor relief. For some, such help was granted in the form of indoor relief, where they would be taken into a workhouse or poorhouse, as determined by an appropriate agency after an extensive assessment of the claimant’s circumstances. Others were instead granted outdoor relief, where they would receive relevant payments for a set duration according to their needs, rather than be brought into an institution. There was of course a third option, and that was for the authorities to refuse to provide any assistance whatsoever – but in some cases, this went beyond a simple ‘no’ to the claimant.
The right of ‘settlement’
Historically in Britain the holding of the legal right of ‘settlement in a parish determined whether a person could claim poor relief from the relevant parochial authority. There were various ways in which such a right could be achieved, including being born in a parish to parents who already held the right, the serving of an apprenticeship for seven years to someone legally settled, or even marrying a man who was legally settled.
Penniless & dispossessed: valuable records for poor folk
Step-by-step guide
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