Hi,
I haven't heard from the administrator so I am biting the bullet and publishing what I have written in answer to some of janfurness's questions. (Under heading Norfolk farm labourers in the Northumberland/Durham coalfields ) I hope it enlightens and helps other people, too.
Vicwinann
Legal Settlement
A legal Settlement was first centred on the place that you were born and your baptism in the Church register was Proof of Settlement. That is the reason why so many families were split up if they needed help or got into trouble with the Poor Law Guardians of a “foreign” Board Administration.
Each adult and child was sent back to the workhouse covered by their place of birth or where they had last held Settlement. Poor Law Admins consisted of groups of parishes and you needed permission to move permanently between Admins.
The cost of your welfare when in need was the responsibility of the Poor Law Board of Guardians in the place where you held Settlement. It, and more importantly, the local ratepayers who financially supported it, did NOT want, and did NOT usually allow, support to be given to outsiders, illegitimate children and their mothers, criminals, people who were called “the feckless”, or the workshy. The disabled did not fare much better.
In some instances permission to marry a spouse from another Guardianship could also be refused if the Overseers thought that your would-be spouse would cause a problem if you lived in its area, and ditto the other way round.
Very simply, to gain Settlement in a place other than where you held it by birth, you had to have worked for a year and a day and lived permanently for that time in the new place. Most employers were not happy at having to act as your and your family’s “guarantor” after that time because it could cost them or the Poor Law Board money if you ever needed support. Contracts were usually for a max of 50 weeks, hence the annual Mop and Employment Fairs where you went to be re-employed.
Employers got round the problems of the Poor Law by laying workers off for a week or two and then re-employing them - or not. If not, and a tied house was involved, which it usually was, you were out on the street and if no new employer in the offing, you had to apply to the Board for relief.
Day workers, even if they had a Settlement Cert were particularly vulnerable, employment wise, and there were a great many of them.
Getting Settlement in a new place could be granted even if you did not fully qualify. Your would-be new employer could guarantee your character, cost of welfare, etc. This happened usually when workers (both skilled or labourers) were in short supply, as we have been discussing; or when a particular worker was head hunted (artisans and high class domestic and estate staff); or occasionally when someone else (maybe a relative) was prepared to be guarantor and support you if need be.
The other reason behind Settlement was, as you say, Jan, to control vagrancy which was rife in some places. Coupled with the curfew laws, one had to be back in one’s own home after dark or have a very good reason for being abroad. You could end up in the nick or workhouse if you were caught on the road after curfew. Ie. If you went to visit someone further away than a couple of hours, you could be in trouble if you were not back in time. An overnight stay was not in the everyday run of things a practical proposition for most people.
Parts of the Poor Laws were still in force until the late 1920’s.
I have only touched on some of the very swingeing restrictions placed on ordinary people by the Poor Laws. I hope I haven’t bored anyone. It is a wide-ranging, but fascinating, subject which still has echoes in the legislation and behaviours in our modern society. As you can imagine, the Laws were as open to abuse from all sides as similar ones are today.
