The Early History of English Poor ReliefLeonard, E. M., of Girton College
History
The Early History of English Poor Relief
Leonard, E. M., of Girton College
Poor laws -- Great Britain -- History
"William Appleby saith he hath victualls as he himself and family daily
have, and further saith that the said apprentice is soe ill-condicioned
that he will still run awaye and hath noe hope of good service of him.
"All thinges heard, examyned and understood the said William Appleby
was enjoyned to take his apprentice and to sett him to worke agayne and
to use him well in all thinges.
"And the apprentice willed, when he is misused or ill treated to
complayne to Mr Mayour, and he will provide further for him, as shalbe
fitt and expedient in that behaulf." _Records of the Borough of
Reading_, Vol. III., p. 233.
The poor boys of Reading appear to have been regularly placed as
apprentices, sometimes by charitable funds and sometimes by the
overseers.
[Sidenote: 3 _b_. In the bridewells, or Industrial schools of the time.]
But not all destitute children were bound apprentice to masters in the
town. The bridewells or workhouses of the time had often a special
children's department which seems to correspond with our own Industrial
schools.
The London Bridewell had thus two distinct functions to perform. On the
one side it was a House of Correction, on the other it was a technical
school for young people. Sometimes the orphaned sons of freemen were
received there, at other times children were sent by the overseers of
the parishes, and often young vagrants were brought in from the London
streets. They were trained in very various occupations: a full report
of the hospital was drawn up in 1631, and we are then told that "four
silk weavers keep poore children taken from the streets or otherwise
distressed, to the number of forty-five."
There were also more than a hundred others at that time in the
Hospital who were apprenticed to pinmakers, ribbon weavers,
hempdressers, linen weavers, and carpenters[520]. Christ's Hospital
at Ipswich, the Hospital at Reading, and the Nottingham House of
Correction, had all training departments of this kind in which many of
the poor children of these towns were taught trades.
[520] _D. S. P._, Chas. I., Vol. 190. 10. See Appendix XII.
[Sidenote: 4. Schools for little children and orphanages.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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