Social History in Perspective General Editor: jeremy Black Social History in Perspective is a series of in-depth studies of the many topics in social, cultural and religious history. PUBLISHED john Betchem Popular Radicalism in Nineteenth-Century Britain Andrew Brown Church and Society in England, 1000-1500 Sue Bruley Women in Britain Since 1900 Anthony Brundage The English Poor Laws, 7 700-1930 Simon Dentith Society and Cultural Forms in Nineteenth-Century England joyce M. Ellis The Ceorgian Town, 1680-1840 Peter Fleming Family and Household in Medieval England Kathryn Gleadle British Women in the Nineteenth Century Harry Goulbourne Race Relations in Britain since 1945 Anne Hardy Health and Medicine in Britain since 1860 Tim Hitchcock English Sexualities, 1700-1800 Sybil M. jack Towns in Tudor and Stuart Britain Helen M. jewell Education in Early Modern England Alan Kidd State, Society and the Poor in Nineteenth-Century England Arthur j. Mcivor A History of Work in Britain, 1880-1950 Hugh Mcleod Religion and Society in England, 1850-1914 Donald M. MacRaild Irish Migrants in Modern Britain, 1750-1922 Donald M. MacRaild and David E. Martin Labour in Britain, 1830-1914 Christopher Marsh Popular Religion in the Sixteenth Century MichaelA. Mullett Catholics in Britain and Ireland, 1558-1829 Richard Rex The Lol/ards George Robb British Culture and the First World War R.Malcolm Smuts Culture and Power in England, 1585-1685 john Spurr English Puritanism, 1603-1689 W.B. Stephens Education in Britain. 1750-1914 Heather Swanson Medieval British Towns David Taylor Crime, Policing and Punishment in England, 7 750-7 9 7 4 N.L. Tranter British Population in the Twentieth Century land. Whyte Migration and Society in Britain, 1550-1830 Andy Wood Riot, Rebellion and Popular Politics in Early Modern England lan D. Whyte Scotland's Society and Economy in Transition, c. 1500-c. 7 760 Andy Wood Riot, Rebellion and Popular Politics in Early Modern England Please note that a sister series, British History in Perspective, is available, covering key topics in British political history. Social History In Perspective Series Standing Order ISBN 978-0-333-71694-6 ISBN 978-0-333-69336-0 (outside North America only} You can receive future titles in this series as they are published by placing a standing order. Please contact your bookseller or, in case of difficulty, write to us at the address below with your name and address, the title of the series and the ISBN quoted above. Customer Services Department, Macmillan Distribution Ltd Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS, England
Social History in Perspective General Editor. jeremy Black Social History in Perspective is a series of in-depth studies of the many topics in social, cultural and religious history. PUBLISHED John Belchem Popular Radicalism in Nineteenth-Century Britain Sue Bruley Women in Britain Since 1900 Anthony Brundage The English Poor Laws, 1700-1930 Simon Dentith Society and Cultural Forms in Nineteenth-Century England joyce M. Ellis The Georgian Town, 1680-1840 Paul A. Fideler Social Welfare in Pre-Industrial England Peter Fleming Family and Household in Medieval England lan Gazeley Poverty in Britain, 1900-1965 Kathryn Gleadle British Women in the Nineteenth Century Harry Goulboume Race Relations in Britain since 1945 Anne Hardy Health and Medicine in Britain since 1860 Tim Hitchcock English Sexualities, 1700-1800 Sybil M. jack Towns in Tudor and Stuart Britain Helen M. jewell Education in Early Modern England Alan Kidd State, Society and the Poor in Nineteenth-Century England Peter Kirby Child Labour in Britain, 1750-1870 Arthur J. Mcivor A History of Work in Britain, 1880-1950 Hugh Mcleod Religion and Society in England, 1850-1914 Donald M. MacRaild Irish Migrants in Modern Britain, 1750-1922 Donald M. MacRaild and David E. Martin Labour in Britain, 1830-1914 Christopher Marsh Popular Religion in the Sixteenth Century Michael A. Mullett Catholics in Britain and Ireland, 1558-1829 Christine Peters Women in Early Modern Britain, 1450-1640 Richard Rex The Lollards George Robb British Culture and the First World War R.Malcolm Smuts Culture and Power in England, 1585-1685 john Spurr English Puritanism, 1603-1689 W.B. Stephens Education in Britain, 1750-1914 Heather Swanson Medieval British Towns David Taylor Crime, Policing and Punishment in England, 1750-1914 N.L. Tranter British Population in the Twentieth Century land. Whyte Migration and Society in Britain, 1550-1830 lan D. Whyte Scotland's Society and Economy in Transition, c. 1500-c. 1760 Andy Wood Riot, Rebellion and Popular Politics in Early Modern England Please note that a sister series, British History in Perspective,is available, covering key topics in British political history Social History in Perspective Series Standing Order ISBN 978-0-333-71694-6 ISBN 978-0-333-69336-0 (outside North America only} You can receive future titles in this series as they are published by placing a standing order. Please contact your bookseller or, in case of difficulty, write to us at the address below with your name and address, the title of the series and the ISBN quoted above. Customer Services Department, Palgrave Ltd Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS, England
STATE, SOCIETY AND THE POOR IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY ENGLAND Alan Kidd Reader in History Manchester Metropolitan University
First published in Great Britain 1999 by MACMILLAN PRESS LTD Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and London Companies and representatives throughout the wodd A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 978-0-333-63254-3 ISBN 978-1-349-27613-4 (ebook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-27613-4 A. J. Kidd 1999 First published in the United States of America 1999 by ST. MARTIN'S PRESS, INC., Scholarly and Reference Division, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 ISBN 978-0-312-22363-2 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Kidd, Alan J. State, society and the poor in nineteenth-century England I Alan Kidd. p. em. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-312-22363-2 (cloth) 1. Public welfare-england-history. 2. Charities-England -History. 3. Poor-England-History. 4. Poor laws-england- -History. I. Title. HV249.E89K53 1999 362.5'0942'09034-<lc21 99-21777 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London WI P OLP. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. CIP
In Memory of Richard Kenneth May 1917-1993 Father-in-Law and Friend
Previously published books by Alan Kidd Gender, Civic Culture and Consumerism, edited with D. Nicholls ( 1999) The Making of the British Middle Class?, edited with D. Nicholls ( 1998) Manchester (1996) City, Class and Culture, edited with K. W. Roberts (1985)
CONTENTS Acknowledgements Vlll 1 A Mixed Economy of Welfare 2 The State and Pauperism 3 Voluntary Charity and the Poor 4 The Working Class, Self-Help and Mutual Aid 5 Poverty and Welfare in Historical Perspective Appendix Notes Further Reading Index 8 65 109 160 167 171 191 201 Vll
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Few books are written without the support and assistance of others in what amounts to a mutual-aid network. In the first place, Michael Rose set me out on my initial researches on the Poor Law over twenty years ago and gave wise counsel during the supervision of two research degrees and beyond. Also, I have benefited from many discussions over the years with Stephen Davies, with whom I do not always agree but from whom I have learned much. Equally, a decade and more of undergraduate and research students at Manchester Metropolitan University have contributed to my knowledge of poverty and welfare, particularly those who asked awkward questions. The particular shape taken by this book crystallised in the stimulating environment of the Anstey conference organised by Hugh Cunningham at the University of Kent at Canterbury in January 1997. I would like to thank Joanna Innes and Steve King for allowing me to see copies of papers prior to publication. Additionally, I want to show my appreciation to Terry Wyke and Peter Shapely for their very helpful comments on an earlier draft and to acknowledge that the errors which remain are entirely my own responsibility. Finally, the greatest support of all has come from my family, especially Elaine whose sound advice and loving patience has been indispensable. In the interests of reciprocity it is her turn now. Vlll