The immensely rich archives emerging from the parochial administration of the English poor law before 1834 include letters to the overseers of the poor that came from the poor themselves. As personal testimonies of people claiming relief, which are often written in a stunningly 'private' tone, pauper letters allow deep insights into the living conditions, experiences and attitudes of the labouring poor in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
Some 750 of these pauper letters, all those presently known to survive in the county of Essex, are contained in this volume. The historical apparatus draws on material from other sources (overseers' correspondence, overseers' accounts and vestry minutes), to put the letters in context. The documents reveal the strong belief of the poor in their right to relief, and their surprisingly powerful position in negotiating their case with the overseers.
The Introduction demonstrates the immense importance of this largely neglected source - both for the social historian and for the comparative study of literacy.
| ISBN: | 9780197263488 |
| Publication date: | 9th March 2006 |
| Author: | Thomas Sokoll |
| Publisher: | The British Academy an imprint of Liverpool University Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 772 pages |
| Series: | Records of Social and Economic History. |
| Genres: |
European history Social and cultural history Economic history |
The immensely rich archives emerging from the parochial administration of the English poor law before 1834 include letters to the overseers of the poor that came from the poor themselves. As personal testimonies of people claiming relief, which are often written in a stunningly 'private' tone, pauper letters allow deep insights into the living conditions, experiences and attitudes of the labouring poor in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
Some 750 of these pauper letters, all those presently known to survive in the county of Essex, are contained in this volume. The historical apparatus draws on material from other sources (overseers' correspondence, overseers' accounts and vestry minutes), to put the letters in context. The documents reveal the strong belief of the poor in their right to relief, and their surprisingly powerful position in negotiating their case with the overseers.
The Introduction demonstrates the immense importance of this largely neglected source - both for the social historian and for the comparative study of literacy.
Essex Pauper Letters, 1731-1837 features in the following genres: European history, Social and cultural history, Economic history
Essex Pauper Letters, 1731-1837 is available in Paperback, Hardback
Essex Pauper Letters, 1731-1837 was written by Thomas Sokoll and published by The British Academy an imprint of Liverpool University Press
Essex Pauper Letters, 1731-1837 has 772 pages
Yes it is part of Records of Social and Economic History. series
£45.00