| Description | A continual difficulty which faced the Poor Law authorities was the problem of vagrancy, and those 'casual poor' travelling in search of work. As, under the 1834 Amendment Act, all who were really destitute had to be relieved by the Guardians, and could leave the workhouse whenever they liked, the system was open to abuse from those vagrants who used the workhouse as free lodgings for the night. An attempt was made in 1842 to stem this problem, as part of a further Poor Law Amendment Act. This stated that Guardians should prescribe a task of work to be done by any person relieved in the workhouse, in return for his food and lodging. The task was to be sanctioned by the Central Board, and no one was to be detained against his will for more than four hours after breakfast on the following morning. If the individual refused or neglected to perform his task, the Guardians were legally allowed to inflict punishment.
This system was taken further by the 1871 Pauper Inmates Discharge and Regulation Act. Guardians were given further powers, the greatest of which was the authority to detain a pauper for 24 hours after he had given notice of his intention to leave. The period of detention could also be increased, so that inmates who had left more than twice in the past two months could be detained for 72 hours. |