Scottish: The Poor and Poor Relief

Scottish: The Poor and Poor Relief explores the background and history of poor relief in Scotland from the Middle Ages to mid-twentieth century. The course includes the system of poorhouses from the eighteenth century onwards. The inspectors of poor played a large role in the administration of relief, and this is examined.

The Poor Law Amendment Act (Scotland) of 1845 is a crucial piece of legislation in the evolution of the relief of the poor. Its operation and effects on the public are important. The poor law system produced a great deal of documentation, which gives detailed insights into the lives of poor Scots and their families. The course covers these in detail and explains how they can be used to trace ancestors. Various strategies used to search these records and other sources available in archives and online are explained. General reference sources useful to clarify Scottish language, geography, and palaeography are also included.