Poverty and the poor law in Ireland, 1850-1914 / Virginia Crossman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Crossman, Virginia, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Poor--Ireland--History--20th century--Sources.

Poor.

Poor--Ireland--History--19th century.

History.

Ireland.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Sources.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (1 online resource (253 pages)) : illustrations, tables, maps

polychrome

Place of Publication:

Liverpool, [England] : Liverpool University Press, 2013.

System Details:

text file

Summary:

The focus of this study is the poor law system, and the people who used it. Introduced in 1838, the Irish poor law established a nationwide system of poor relief that was administered and financed locally. This book provides the first detailed, comprehensive assessment of the ideological basis and practical operation of the poor law system in the post-Famine period. Analysis of contemporary understandings of poverty is integrated with discussion of local relief practices to uncover the attitudes and responses of those both giving and receiving relief, and the active relationship between them. Local case studies are used to explore key issues such as entitlement and eligibility, as well as the treatment of 'problem' groups such as unmarried mothers and vagrants, thus allowing local and individual experience to enrich our understanding of poverty and welfare in historical context. Previous studies of poverty and welfare in Ireland have concentrated on the measures taken to relieve poverty, and their political context. Little attempt has been made to explore the experience of being poor, or to identify the strategies adopted by poor people to negotiate an inhospitable economic and social climate. This innovative interrogation of poor law records reveals the poor to have been active historical agents making calculated choices about how, when and where to apply for aid. Approaching welfare as a process, the book provides a deeper and more wide ranging assessment of the Irish poor law than any study previously undertaken and represents a major milestone in Irish economic and social history. Book jacket.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Concepts of Poverty and Poor Relief 12

Chapter 2 Context and Trends 33

Chapter 3 Outdoor Relief 63

Chapter 4 The Workhouse 101

Chapter 5 The Sick, Infirm and Lunatics 139

Chapter 6 Single Mothers and Prostitutes 168

Chapter 7 Mendicancy and Vagrancy 198.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (EBL, viewed December 1, 2016).

Local Notes:

Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest, 2016. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest affiliated libraries.

Other Format:

Print version: Crossman, Virginia. Poverty and the poor law in Ireland, 1850-1914.

ISBN:

9781781385708

OCLC:

890980820

Publisher Number:

EBC1531600

Access Restriction:

1 online resource