Bourne's Acts
In an effort to improve the administration of poor-relief (and reduce costs) the Sturges Bourne Acts were introduced: The 1818 Act for the Regulation of Parish Vestries (58 Geo. III c. 3) and the 1819 Act To Amend the laws for the Relief of the Poor (59 Geo. III c. 12). These acts allowed parishes to appoint small committees, known as Select Vestries, to scrutinise relief-giving. Election to Select Vestries was by parish ratepayers given votes (up to six) in proportion to the value of their property. In addition, a rate could be raised specifically to build or enlarge a workhouse. To help the parish overseer (a unpaid post) with the growing administrative burden imposed by poor relief, a salaried assistant overseer could also be appointed.
However, by the late 1820s, there was growing dissatisfaction with the whole system, particularly from the well represented land-owning classes who bore the brunt of the growing poor-rate burden. There was also growing unrest amongst the poor, particularly in rural areas, which even lead to rioting and the attacking of poorhouses, notably from those who identified themselves as supporters of the shadowy figure of Captain Swing. In 1832 the British Government decided to appoint a Royal Commission to review the whole poor relief system.
.Bibliography
- Slack, Paul. The English Poor Law, 1531-1782, 1990, CUP.
- Webb, Sidney and Beatrice English Poor Law History, 1927, Longmans, Green & Co., London.
- Webb, Sidney and Beatrice English Poor Law Policy, 1910, Longmans, Green & Co., London.
For US readers 
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