| Description | Following the 1844 Poor Law Amendment Act, the Poor Law Board issued an order relating to the apprenticing of children (see GP AS/1/1/1). Previously, the forcible apprenticeship of children was widespread, but this order restricted apprentices to children over 9 years of age, with those over 14 having to give their consent. This Act was followed by another in 1851, the Poor Law (apprentices, etc.) Act, which made reference to the records that the Union had to keep relating to the apprenticeship of children. These mainly consisted of reports by the Relieving Officers, who visited the children at their placements, but these proved over time to be a poor reference source. A Local Government Board Order of 1880 sought to change this, by instructing the Unions to keep a register relating to the children apprenticed by them (see GP AS/1/1/2). GP AS/11/4 is an example of this type of record.
The register details these placements, giving the name, age and date of indenture of each child, the name of their master or mistress, and their trade and address. Further comments are given in some cases - for instance, if the child absconded or returned to the Workhouse. The volume is indexed. |