Long before the welfare state as we know it today, there was a system in place to provide help and support for the most vulnerable in our society. Even though (or perhaps because) it was locally based and no doubt varied in quality from district to district (indeed some parishes seem not to have collected a poor rate at all until well into the 1700s, it does appear to have been a real and substantial provision, especially in Widecombe.This book looks at the welfare provision in Widecombe roughly between 1700 and 1900 ...
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Long before the welfare state as we know it today, there was a system in place to provide help and support for the most vulnerable in our society. Even though (or perhaps because) it was locally based and no doubt varied in quality from district to district (indeed some parishes seem not to have collected a poor rate at all until well into the 1700s, it does appear to have been a real and substantial provision, especially in Widecombe.This book looks at the welfare provision in Widecombe roughly between 1700 and 1900 against the legal background in place at the time and makes extensive use of material from the Widecombe Archive and Parish Chest to illustrate the points made.
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