| Description | Under the 1834 Amendment Act, Unions could provide out-door relief, away from the workhouse. The actual level of this relief, whether in money or in kind, was the responsibility of the Relieving Officer. Upon receiving applications from the poor, it was his job to investigate their circumstances, enquiring into their state of health, ability to work, and whether any other means of support, through friends or family, was available to them. Having done this, the Relieving Officer would report to the Board of Guardians, making his own recommendations about each individual case. It was the Guardians who decided on the level of relief to be granted, but having done so it was again the responsibility of the Relieving Officer to ensure that their decision was carried out. |