Yvonne wrote: "I wonder why the Parish were prepared to subsidise farmers in their payments to their labourers?" Assuming that events were the same in Dyfed as in Dorset (where I am more knowledgeable) there is a very simple answer. The money paid out by 'the parish' had been collected within the same parish. This was the Poor Rate, and was obtained from the richer people in the parish, such as landowners, professional people, tradesmen and crafts people as well as farmers - see any Genealogy book for explanation of who were the 'rich' ones contributing to the Poor Rate, as it varied with time. The wages of the ag labs were therefore made up to a decent level from the Poor Rate, only *part* of which came from the farmers, instead of them paying a better wage *completely* out of their own pockets. Diana

Diana, et.al. - When researching family members in Scotland, I found some parish records of cash accounting. During each quarter of a year, the parish would take in money for various things: i.e., mort cloths, burials, fines for irregular marriages, etc. On the opposite side of the page was an accounting of how the money was disbursed to the poor: i.e., money paid from the parish poor fund for a particular widow, orphans, their education, grave digging, etc. These were different records from the kirk session records I had hoped to find, but just as informative. I don't know if there are similar accounting records for parishes in Pembrokeshire. Does anyone know? Lynne in Tucson ----- Original Message ----- From: "Diana Trenchard" <diana@trenchar.demon.co.uk> To: <Dyfed@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, January 25, 2010 8:29 AM Subject: Re: [Dyfed] Support for paupers and their children before andafter1834 > Yvonne wrote: > > "I wonder why the Parish were prepared to subsidise farmers in their > payments to their labourers?" > > Assuming that events were the same in Dyfed as in Dorset (where I am > more knowledgeable) there is a very simple answer. > > The money paid out by 'the parish' had been collected within the same > parish. This was the Poor Rate, and was obtained from the richer > people in the parish, such as landowners, professional people, > tradesmen and crafts people as well as farmers - see any Genealogy > book for explanation of who were the 'rich' ones contributing to the > Poor Rate, as it varied with time. The wages of the ag labs were > therefore made up to a decent level from the Poor Rate, only *part* of > which came from the farmers, instead of them paying a better wage > *completely* out of their own pockets. > > Diana > > ================================ > Dyfed list http://home.clara.net/daibevan/DyfedML.html > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > DYFED-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.432 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2644 - Release Date: 01/25/10 07:36:00