| Description | Following subsequent legislation throughout the nineteenth century, the Boards of Guardians were made responsible for duties other than those directly linked with the Poor Law. In 1837, the Guardians became responsible for the civil registration of births, marriages and deaths, whilst later additions included a responsibility for the vaccination of infants against smallpox (1840), the assessment of properties for the purposes of establishing a poor rate (1862), the ensuring of school attendance, if no school board was already in existence (1877), and the protection of infant life outside London (1897). For Birmingham Union, records relating to both vaccination and assessment survive. The Aston Union collection also has records on these duties (see GP AS/29 and GP AS/30), whilst King's Norton Union has details of the Guardians' programmes of vaccination, assessment, school attendance and infant life protection (see GP B/29-33). |