Poor Relief records
The survival of records at a parish level relating to poor relief is complicated by the overlapping responsibilities of kirk sessions, heritors and (after 1845) parochial boards. The most likely source of information at parish level is the records of kirk sessions, but heritors minutes should be consulted too. Parochial Board records sometimes include pre-1845 material, which began life as heritors’ or kirk session records. Examples are minute books (of the heritors or of a heritors’ committee on the management of the poors fund), poor rolls, registers of poor persons, and accounts. Anyone researching poor relief (and other parochial matters) is strongly advised to look at the catalogues to the records of all three of these bodies (kirk sessions, heritors, and parochial boards) for any given parish.
Before 1845, under the old poor law, many parishes did not keep formal poor records. Kirk session minutes and heritors’ minutes generally contain references to collections for the poor and to disbursements which might mention the names of individuals. If financial accounts survive, these are more likely to show the names of individual recipients of support. Where registers were kept, it was often the practice to have two rolls, a ‘permanent roll’ for paupers who were expected to be chargeable for the remainder of their lives, and a roll of ‘occasional poor’ for the others.
In this period the classes of record which are mainly used by researchers are:
Parliamentary Papers after 1707
The Poor Law (Scotland) Act 1845 established parochial boards in rural parishes and in the towns, and a central Board of Supervision in Edinburgh. The forms of records created by the new poor law were closely controlled by the Board of Supervision which had direct oversight, both of the local inspectors of poor and of poorhouse governors. At least some types of record were printed in Edinburgh as volumes of blank forms, to the Board’s specifications. Not all the local boards used these forms, but even if they did not, their records were required to include the same information. The main record types (other than the minutes of the board and its committees) were those kept by the inspectors, in particular the Registers of Poor and the Record of Applications for Relief.
The records which are mainly used by researchers in the period 1845 to 1930 are:
Parochial Board and Parish Council minute books
Miscellaneous records of inspectors of poor
Board of Supervision and Local Government Board Records
Parliamentary papers after 1707
Those with a special interest in the form of the post 1845 records are referred to the records themselves and also to the Annual Reports of the Board of Supervision. The Appendix to the Fifth Report (1851) lists the record series to be kept by poorhouses, and the Appendices to the Tenth and Twentieth Reports (1855 and 1865) list the records to be kept by inspectors, with illustrations of the formats of the most important series.
Not all the records referred to are available for public access and in particular those containing personal information about living individuals will be subject to data protection restrictions. From the 1920s it was common practice for parish councils and public assistance committees in urban areas to anonymise cases in the minutes by giving them a number. If the cross indexes to these numbers have not survived it is not possible to identify the people discussed.
Kirk session records are held either in the National Records of Scotland (NRS) or in local authority archives services (under charge and superintendence). Heritors’ records are usually held in NRS. Post-1845 poor law records are generally kept in local authority archives services but their survival is patchy. The registers of poor for Dundee after 1845, for example, were all destroyed by an administrator and only the poorhouse records survive. By contrast, significant sets of records for Glasgow and Govan parishes survive, held by Glasgow City Archives.
Other Knowledge Base entries on poor relief
Where can I find parochial board, parish council and poor relief records for a parish?
The records of most parochial boards and parish councils have passed to local authorities in Scotland. Many are now held by local authority archives, some are with local authority library services and a few are with the National Records of Scotland. In some areas (e.g. Aberdeenshire, Ayrshire, Dumfriesshire) the survival rate is very good. In other areas (e.g. Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire) very little survives. In general, very little survives for the parochial boards of the major cities, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee, except Glasgow, where huge runs of application registers survive for Glasgow City, Barony and Govan parishes (held by Glasgow City Archives). The National Records of Scotland hold parochial board and parish council records for some parishes in East Lothian (CO7/7, DC4/4-12, DC5/4-5, DC7/4), Midlothian (CO2/77-91), and Wigtownshire (CO4/30-47). For parochial board and parish council records for other parishes you should contact the appropriate local authority archive, in the first instance.
The responsibilities of heritors, kirk sessions and parochial boards overlapped to some extent, and this is reflected in the surviving records of many parishes. Some heritors’ records survive among kirk session records and vice versa. For example some kirk session minute books contain minutes of heritors’ meetings, and the minute books of some parochial boards predate 1845, and begin as the minute book of heritors’ meetings before becoming the minute book of the parochial boards. Many kirk sessions continued to provide for the poor out of church collections for several years after 1845. For example, the minutes of the kirk session of Greenlaw contain lists of poor who received contributions after communion services until 1881. The records of the heritors of Dirleton parish contain poor rolls from 1825 until 1847. For any given parish the researcher should check the catalogues to the kirk session, heritors’ and parochial board minutes.
Where can I find heritors’ records for a parish?
Heritors’ records are the responsibility of the Keeper of the Records of Scotland and heritors’ records for most parishes are held at the National Archives of Scotland. The responsibilities of heritors, kirk sessions and parochial boards overlapped to some extent, and this is reflected in the surviving records of many parishes. Some heritors’ records survive among kirk session records and vice versa. For example some kirk session minute books contain minutes of heritors’ meetings, and the minute books of some parochial boards predate 1845, and begin as the minute book of heritors’ meetings before becoming the minute book of the parochial boards. Many kirk sessions continued to provide for the poor out of church collections for several years after 1845. For example, the minutes of the kirk session of Greenlaw contain lists of poor who received contributions after communion services until 1881. The records of the heritors of Dirleton parish contain poor rolls from 1825 until 1847. For any given parish the researcher should check the catalogues to the kirk session, heritors’ and parochial board minutes.
Where can I find kirk session records for a parish?
Kirk session records are the responsibility of the Keeper of the Records of Scotland. The records of most kirk sessions are held at the National Archives of Scotland. However, some are then sent back (the National Archives use the term ‘retransmitted’) to local archives under what is known as ‘charge and superintendence’ (that is, they are kept by local archives under certain conditions). To find out whether the kirk session records for a parish survive, and whether they are held at the National Archives of Scotland or a local authority archive contact the National Archives of Scotland or the local archive concerned. The responsibilities of heritors, kirk sessions and parochial boards overlapped to some extent, and this is reflected in the surviving records of many parishes. Some heritors’ records survive among kirk session records and vice versa. For example some kirk session minute books contain minutes of heritors’ meetings, and the minute books of some parochial boards predate 1845, and begin as the minute book of heritors’ meetings before becoming the minute book of the parochial boards. Many kirk sessions continue to provide for the poor out of church collections for several years after 1845. For example, the minutes of the kirk session of Greenlaw contain lists of poor who received contributions after communion services until 1881. The records of the heritors of Dirleton parish contain poor rolls from 1825 until 1847. For any given parish the researcher should check the catalogues to the kirk session, heritors’ and parochial board minutes.
Why might the information in a register of the poor contradict information in other records?
There are several reasons why this may be so.
Where an individual was ill or elderly he or she might have been able to give only vague information to the Inspector of the Poor.
Some applicants gave false information in order to qualify for relief (for example someone born in Ardrossan parish but applying in Glasgow might state that he or she was born in Ireland, in order to obtain relief rather than being sent to Ardrossan or his or her application being referred to Ardrossan).
Clerical error might result in a place name being mis-spelt or located in the wrong parish or county.
I have seen the term ‘General Register of the Poor’ used. Does this refer to a central register of the poor, kept nationally for the whole of Scotland?
No, the term ‘general register of the poor’ refers to a type of poor relief register kept by individual parishes. In 1865 the Board of Supervision introduced new General Registers of Poor and Children’s Separate Registers. Where poor relief registers survive they generally are found among county council and civil parish records in local authority archives and libraries.
If poor relief registers do not survive for a parish, is it worthwhile looking in parochial board/parish council minutes for information on a pauper?
The amount of information in parochial board or parish council minutes relating to individual applicants varies from parish to parish. The minutes for some parishes, particularly rural parishes, contain a lot of information, including the residence of the applicant and their living conditions, the reason for application, reasons for the application being accepted or rejected, other members of the applicant’s family and their earnings, and other comments by the Inspector of the Poor. However, for many parishes the minutes include very little information on each applicant, often containing the name and the decision of the board or council and little else. After the 1920s the minute entries may be anonymised by referring to case numbers and not to surnames. In addition, remember that searching through minute books can be very time-consuming.