Hi, I have a grandmother on the 1851 census who is listed as receiving parish relief and as this is the first time that I have seen this I wondered if I could please ask for some advice as to whether I would be able to learn anything else about this or about her from possible surviving records of this? I wondered if there would be surviving records and if anyone might please be able to advise me about how I might go about looking them up at all please? Her name was Maria DEAN and she is written as being 83 years old I believe in the 1851 census and living with family in Horton. If anybody might please be able to offer me any advice I would be very grateful. Thankyou very much in advance. Kind regards, Tina Connell

In message <028d01c4bcea$487039a0$c63d8b90@hppav>, Tina Connell <tcconnell@bigpond.com> writes >Hi, >I have a grandmother on the 1851 census who is listed as receiving parish relief >and as this is the first time that I have seen this I wondered if I could please >ask for some advice as to whether I would be able to learn anything else about >this or about her from possible surviving records of this? Up to 1834, yes. After 1834. relief was actually in the hands of the Board of Gardians, and all paupers were supposed to go into the workhouse of the Union of parishes. However, it was impractical to build Houses big enough to cope with surges, and in practice, many people were still given tiny allowances in their homes. It was done through a Relieving Offcier who lived in or close to the parish., so as far as the paupers were concerned, it looked just the same as the old parish-based handouts. In Bucks there are very few surving records of the early workhouses and Guardians, except some for the Winslow Union and the Amersham Union.Horton (presumably the South Bucks one, not the mid/eastern one) is not covered. -- Eve McLaughlin Author of the McLaughlin Guides for family historians Secretary Bucks Genealogical Society