According to an estimate, published by Dr. Davenant, of the sum raised by the poor's rate in. England and Wales, in the latter part of the reign of Charles II. it amounted to 665,362/. As the number of the poor increased, it not only became ne cessary to raise a greater sum for their maintenance, but new cases arose with respect to the claims of individuals to this kind of relief, in consequence of which va rious acts were passed for explaining and amending the laws for the relief of the poor. In 1735, the }louse of Commons appointed a committee to consider of the existing laws relative to, the maintenance and settlement of the poor, and what fur ther provisions might be necessary for their better relief and employment. The committee came to several resolutions, which were agreed to by the house ; the most important were, " that the laws in being, relating to the maintenance of the poor of this kingdom are defective ; and, notwithstanding they impose heavy bur dens on parishes, yet the poor, in most of them, are ill taken care of:" and, that it is very expedient, that the laws relating to the poor should be reduced into one act of parliament.
In 1776, a return was ordered to be made to parliament, of the total expendi ture on account of the poor, for one year, ending at Easter ; pursuant to which, ac counts were received from 14,113 pa rishes, or places, in England and Wales, f'rom which it appeared, that the aggre gate sum expended was 1,530,804/. 6s. 3d. and that there were then 1970 work houses, capable of accommodating 89,775 persons. In 1786, a return was again ordered to be made, of the average annual expenditure of the three preceding years, when accounts were obtained from 14,240 parishes, or places, and the total was found to have increased, in the short pe riod of ten years, to 2,004,238/. 5s. 11d. since which time, a still greater increase has taken place.
In the year 1803, an act was passed for procuring returns relative to the expense and maintenance of the poor ; from the answers and returns made pursuant thereto, the following particulars are de rived.
Out of 14,611 parishes and places from which accounts were received, 3765 pa rishes maintain all, or part of; their poor in workhouses. The number of persons so maintained during the year, ending Easter 1803, was 83,468; and the expense incurred therein, amounted to 1,016,445/. 15s. 3d. being at the rate of 12/. 38. 6d. for each person maintained in that man ner.
The number of persons relieved out of workhouses was 956,248, besides 194,052, who were not parishioners. The expense, incurred in the relief of the poor, not in workhouses, amounted to 3,061;446/. 16s. 100. A large proportion ,of those, who were not parishioners, appear to have been vagrants, and it is probable, that the relief given to this class of poor could not exceed two shillings each, amounting to 19,405/. 4s, This sum being deducted
from the above 3,061,4461. 16s. 100. leaves 3,042,041/. 12s. 100. being at the rate of 3/. 3s. 70 for each parishioner re lieved out of any workhouse.
The number of persons relieved in and out of workhouses, was 1,039,716, and as the resident population of England and Wales, in the year 1801, appeared from the returns made under the population act to have been 8,872,980, the number of parishioners relieved from the poor's rate appears to be twelve in a hundred of the resident population.
The expenditure, in suits of law, re moval of paupers, and expenses of over seers and other officers, amounted to 190,0721. 17s. id. and the sum expended in purchasing materials for employing the poor, to 47,523/. lls. 41d.
The poor of 293 parishes, are stated in the returns, to be farmed, or maintained under contract ; and the poor of 764 pa rishes are maintained and employed un der the regulations of special acts of par liament.
The total sum raised by the poor's rate, and other parochial rates, within the year ending Easter 1803, was 5,348,2051. 9s. 31d. The average rate in the pound was, in England 4s. 4id. and in Wales 7s. 1 d. the average of England and Wales 4s. Sic/.
The great increase of the sum thus le vied upon the public, and its present mag nitude, naturally suggests a doubt, whe ther the established claim to this kind of relief may not have become, in many in stances, the dependance of idleness, in stead of the support of age and helpless ness. It is also probable, that the laws, by which the poor's rate was originally established, had no relation to the pecu niary relief of the able bodied labourer, and that it was only meant for the relief of those, who either bad not work, or who were unable to work. In later years, however, it has been generally extended to the relief of the labourer ; and the quantity of that relief has been measured by the high price of provisions, which is one of the principal causes of the great augmentation of the poor's rate.
Mr. Malthus, in his " Essay on the Principle of Population," advises the to tal abolition of this system of parochial relief, by proposing, that a regulation should be made, declaring that no child born from any marriage, taking place af ter the expiration of a year from the date, of the law, and that no illegitimate child, born two years after the same date, should ever be entitled to parochial assistance.— To give a more general knowledge of this law, he proposes, that the clergyman of the parish should, previously to every marriage, read a short address to the parties, stating the strong obligation on every man to support his own children, and the necessity, which had at length appeared, of abandoning all public insti tutions for their relief, as having produc ed effects totally opposite to those which were intended. See POPULATION.