Poor Law in Ireland, 1838-1948
For almost one hundred years, the poor law was the main source of poor relief in Ireland. Introduced as a safety net to protect the destitute, the system expanded over the course of the nineteenth century to encompass the preservation …
Product Details
| Author(s) | Virginia Crossman |
| Publication Date | 1984 |
| Publisher | Studies in Irish Economic and Social History |
| Format | Paperback |
| ISBN | 978-0947897024 |
Product Description
For almost one hundred years, the poor law was the main source of poor relief in Ireland. Introduced as a safety net to protect the destitute, the system expanded over the course of the nineteenth century to encompass the preservation of public health as well as the relief of property. This pamphlet provides the first general, comprehensive account of the poor law system in Ireland from its introduction in 1838 to its abolition in the Irish Free State in 1925, and in Northern Ireland in 1948. It explains why the poor law was introduced, how it operated and how it changed over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. While much research still focuses on the impact of the poor law during the Famine years, recent work has begun to explore the full range of the poor law activities from the provision of outdoor relief and medical care to the construction of labourers’ cottages. By providing an accessible synthesis of this research the pamphlet challenges popular perceptions of the poor law which continue to be dominated by the image if the workhouse, and suggests new areas for study and debate.
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