The Scottish Poor Law, and some contrasts between its principles and the practices that have grown upon it : read 28th May 1869 / by D. Curror.

Date:
1869
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Scottish Poor Law, and some contrasts between its principles and the practices that have grown upon it : read 28th May 1869 / by D. Curror. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    Turn now with me to the provisions made for the poor by the Scotch Poor Law Acts. I do not go farther back than the Act 1579, which is the foundation of our present Poor Law legislation. It was passed for staunching maisterful and idle beggars and away putting of sorners; and for provision for the pure and impotent. The first are to be punished, and punished most severely, unless some honest and re- sponsible man will of his charity enact himself to hold him to work for twelve months—getting his work for his meat. That class is described as Egyptians, or any others that fenzies them to have knowledge of charming, prophecy, or other abused sciences, whereby they persuade people that they can tell their weirds, deaths, and fortunes, and uther sick fantastical imaginations—all persons haill and stark in body and able to work—uthers having neither land nor maisters, nor using any lawful merchandize, craft, or occupation whereby they may win their living, and can give nae reckoning how they lawfully get their living—all minstrels, sangsters, tale-tellers —all common labourers, being persons abill in body, living idle and fleeing labour—and all shipmen and mariners alleging themselves to be ship-broken. Is it possible to describe more graphically the modern casual, and the second apostolic —the worse than infidel—class ? You see him in propria per- sona before your eyes. These were to be staunched, and all the difficulties of the situation to the present day lie in staunch- ing them. But the first apostolic class were not forgotten. Seeing, says the Act, charitie wald that the pure and aged and impotent persons suld be als necessarilie provided, as the vagaboundes and Strang beggars repressed, and that the aged, impotent, and pure people suld have lodgeing and abiding places throught the realme to settle themselves intil,—there- fore the Lord and Chancellar sail call for the erections of all hospitales, and reduce them as far as possible to the ferst institution as may best serve for the helpe and reliefe of the saids aged, impotent, and pure peopel. It was also enacted, that nane be tholled to beg in ane parish that are bore in another. Inquisition is to be taken of all aged, pure, im-