| Description | The King's Norton Board of Guardians was appointed in 1836, after the creation of the Union. The Board was made up of 20 elected guardians, along with 10 others who were made Guardians ex-officio in their role as local magistrates. The Board of Guardians met weekly, meetings that were supplemented by other regular committees. Guardians were elected by the rate-payers within a Union and served a term of one year, although individuals were eligible to stand again in the following year, and could serve as Guardians in more than one parish at the same time. The Board's main function was to decide upon all applications for poor relief, and to take the necessary measures to carry out such decisions. Along with this role, the Guardians exercised constant supervision over the administration of the relief system, and in doing so were responsible for the appointment of paid officers to carry out the work of the Union.
The volumes contain details on those Guardians present at each meeting, the appointment of paid officials within the Union, the formation of new committees by the Board, with responsibility for the various aspects of poor relief administration, and their reports to the Board of Guardians, the discussion of other business relating to the Union, e.g. the rental paid to the parishes for use of the workhouses at King's Norton and Harborne, and occasional references to individual inmates. The earlier minutes also contain printed samples from the central authority, showing how the minutes should be kept, and what information they should contain. Unless indicated otherwise, the volumes are not indexed. |