in 1631 that the more populous places have already raised stocks of money to set the poor to work, and that they are still trying to induce all the others to do so though a few are not rich enough to bear the necessary taxation[627]. From St Albans, Reigate, Ipswich, Maidstone, Lynn, and Norwich, as well as from more inland towns we have similar information: the magistrates of Bedford write that "we haue raysed divers extraordenary taxes for the reliefe of our poore and settinge them on worke and therby they are set to worke[628]." But perhaps the Buckingham report indicates the most thorough organisation. There the poor had been visited apparently in the same way as at Norwich. Five hundred people were examined; the age and occupation of each were noted, and whether they had work or not. Afterwards employment was provided for those who needed it and we are told that the poor "of good disposicon are glad they are thus settled w^{th}out begging and settle themselves seriouslie to their labo^r." This good result however was not obtained without complaints from the ratepayers[629]. [621] _Dom. State Papers_, Vol. 191, 40. II. [622] See above. [623] _D. S. P._ Vol. 194, 17. III. 14th June. [624] The orders of the corporation of Shrewsbury, "That a stock be raised for setting the poor on work and the Castle be repaired and imployed for that purpose." _Shropshire Archæological Journal_, XI. p. 169. [625] _D. S. P._, Vol. 194, 41. II. See below for Shaftesbury, Leominster, Gloucester, Banbury, Abergavenny, &c. [626] _Dom. State Papers_, Vol. 188, 34. [627] _Ib._, Vol. 189, 79. [628] _Ib._, Vol. 189, 27. [629] _Ib._, Vol. 189, 60, and 187, 2. In the country districts also employment seems to have been provided as well as in the towns whenever the poor suffered much from the want of work. In the western counties, however, there were few complaints of lack of employment, except from the cloth-workers when the trade in cloth was slack. Some justices expressly state that there is no want of work in their part of the country. Thus from a large district of Somerset we hear that there are "none lefte unplaced but such as doe mainetaine their charge by their labor[630]." Therefore, as we should expect, in many reports from the West nothing is said about finding employment for the able-bodied poor. There are, however, also a fair number of cases in which work is said to be provided. This is especially the case in the counties of Shropshire and Stafford; thus from Staffordshire three reports were sent in 1634, and in all three we are told that the poor were set to work[631]. Moreover, the Worcester justices write that "wee are carefull ... that the able poore bee well provided of worke[632]" and in almost all[633] the other western counties, at least one instance of the kind is reported[634].