The Casual Poor and the City of 
London Poor Law Union, 1837–1869

Tanner, Andrea

doi:10.1017/s0018246x98008310

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…As the itinerant destitute from all over Britain flocked to the City to benefit from this largess, this system of poor relief ultimately became unsustainable. 17 In the decade 1871-1880, there was a decline in mortality rates in these inner boroughs although this was due to a significant decline in the mortality rates from gastrointestinal infections that correlated with the improved water supply. However, infant mortality remained static and the death rates from pulmonary tuberculosis showed a patchy decline and increased in some boroughs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As the itinerant destitute from all over Britain flocked to the City to benefit from this largess, this system of poor relief ultimately became unsustainable. 17 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Unlike all other London boroughs, it refused to build workhouses until 1867 but spent vast sums of money on its paupers giving outdoor relief largely in cash but also generous allowances of food and drink. 17 Children of the poor were fed and educated and the old looked after.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impact of diet on health and longevity in London 1850–1880

Greaves

2020

JRSM Open

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This study examines the impact of diet on health in different districts of mid-19th century London. Surveys of London diets and living condition were compared with mortality data between 1851 and 1880. Despite an abundance of fresh foods reaching London, the very poor labouring population living in the inner boroughs between 1850 and 1861 had great difficulty obtaining sufficient nourishment because of its cost. This population showed high death rates from infectious diseases, notably pulmonary tuberculosis, which was endemic and is typically associated with poor nutrition. This high death rate was exacerbated by more deaths from gastrointestinal infections associated with a polluted water supply from the river Thames. By contrast, the poor in the outer suburbs enjoyed both more nutritious diets and cleaner water which was associated with lower death rates comparable to those in rural Britain. Outer suburbs retained a relatively rural life-style associated with cleaner water and an abundance of locally grown food. In the following two decades, there was a significant reduction in the death rates from gastrointestinal infections in the inner boroughs which correlated with the major improvements in London’s water supply. The decline in death rates from tuberculosis and other infectious disease was inconsistent and increased in some boroughs, suggesting patchy economic improvement and a persisting limited ability of many of London’s poor to afford a nutritious diet.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As the itinerant destitute from all over Britain flocked to the City to benefit from this largess, this system of poor relief ultimately became unsustainable. 17 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impact of diet on health and longevity in London 1850–1880

Greaves

2020

JRSM Open

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“…Eventually, the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 was created to restructure the administration of poor relief, when groups of Photo by Tom Parsons on Unsplash Visual Law-Repealing the Vagrancy Act 1824 Autumn 2021 parishes became a union, taking on the collective responsibility of the administration of poor relief for those areas. The Metropolitan Houseless Poor Act 1864 imposed a legal duty on the Poor Law Unions in London to provide temporary accommodation for the 'destitute wanderers' (Vorspan 1977;Tanner 1999;see also 1900s.org). This meant that two types of workhouses were now in operation: the workhouses were for local people who were destitute, while the 'casual wards' were for people who were destitute and did not have a fixed address.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%