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 of women using the system, contemporary perceptions of the alleged threat, the influence of penal separation upon casual relief, and changes in the attributes of recipients that occurred during the period.

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