This Act enabled a parish to send anyone who was liable to be a charge on the Poor Rate back to the parish of which she or he was native. Intended to restore rural order in the wake of the upheavals of 1642-1660, it was to have long term significance in times of rural poverty, notably in the 1790s: those who were without work and not born in a parish could be arrested and forcibly removed to the parish of their birth.
For further information please see our general overview of the Poor Law.
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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Act of Settlement of the Poor". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 May 2005 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1470, accessed 23 November 2024.]
