Four years earlier, in 1834, the Poor Law Amendment Act was passed by the Westminster Parliament, which transformed the provision of poor relief in England and Wales. Previous to this, the typical provision was a system of 'outdoor relief' that had been in place relatively unchanged since the sixteenth century. With the new Poor Law, however, poor relief was supposed to be offered only within the confines of the workhouse. These were institutions ordered to be established within each group of parishes, or 'Poor Law Unions', where the poor could be kept and made to provide useful work, while being given basic support. However, to discourage their being used as free board and lodging, conditions within the workhouse were supposed to be as …

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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Extension of the Poor Law to Ireland". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 August 2013 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=4776, accessed 23 November 2024.]