Vagrancy and the New Poor Law: The Evolution of Casual Relief in England and Wales, 1800-1919

by Brian O'Leary

From 1837 the Poor Law Commissioners in the United Kingdom sanctioned temporary relief at workhouses for casual wayfarers, heralding a departure from historic attempts to control the wandering poor with criminal vagrancy legislation. The proposed book provides a detailed account of the development of the casual relief system while also addressing gaps in the historiography of Victorian and Edwardian vagrancy, such as the significant underestimation...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1138213284
• ISBN13: 9781138213289
• Release Date: January 2026
• Publisher: Routledge