Tracing Your Poor Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians

by Stuart A Raymond

Overview

Many people in the past – perhaps a majority – were poor. Tracing our ancestors amongst them involves consulting a wide range of sources. Stuart Raymond’s handbook is the ideal guide to them.

He examines the history of the poor and how they survived. Some were supported by charity. A few were lucky enough to live in an almshouse. Many had to depend on whatever the poor law overseers gave them. Others were forced into the Union workhouse. Some turned to a life of crime. Vagrants were whipped and poor children were apprenticed by the overseers or by a charity. Paupers living in the wrong place were forcibly ‘removed’ to their parish of settlement. Many parishes and charities offered them the chance to emigrate to North America or Australia.

As a result there are many places where information can be found about the poor. Stuart Raymond describes them all: the records of charities, of the poor law overseers, of poor law unions, of Quarter Sessions, of bankruptcy, and of friendly societies. He suggests many other potential sources of information in record offices, libraries, and on the internet.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781526742933
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	11/20/2020
Series:	Tracing Your Ancestors
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Stuart Raymond was formerly librarian of the Yorkshire Archaeological Society. He is an experienced family and local historian, and an expert on the history of wills and local records. Among his most recent publications are The Wills of Our Ancestors, Tracing Your Ancestors in County Records, Tracing Your Nonconformist Ancestors and Tracing Your Church of England Ancestors. He has also published a wide variety of other handbooks, web directories and library guides for family and local historians.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vi

Preface vii

Chapter 1 Preliminaries to Researching the Poor 1

Chapter 2 The History of the Poor 7

Chapter 3 Charities 38

Chapter 4 Paupers Before 1834: Documenting the Old Poor Law 68

Chapter 5 Paupers After 1834: Documenting the New Poor Law 91

Chapter 6 Vagrants 107

Chapter 7 Criminals: The Process of Conviction 119

Chapter 8 Criminals: Sentencing and After 135

Chapter 9 Debtors and Bankrupts 149

Chapter 10 Miscellaneous Sources 156

Notes 173

Personal Name Index 187

Place Name Index 188

Subject Index 190