In the 1861 census a relative of mine, Mary James, was described as a "pauper." Does that mean that she would have been receiving financial assistance from the authorities? She was living in one of the two cottages in Redstone near Sodstone in Narberth parish with her daughter Bridget James, who was a seamstress. Mary James had been living in Redstone, probably in the same cottage, since the 1841 census. In the 1851 census, she was living on her own and described not as a pauper but as a "farmer's widow" and in the 1841 census when she was living with another daughter, Sarah, and one of her sons, George she was described simply as a "widow." Her husband, John James, had died in June 1833, the year before the change to the Poor Law, and a newspaper report of the circumstances of his death said that he had been "in a state of despondency from poverty." Therefore it seems likely that his widow Mary James had been a pauper ever since her husband's death, if not earlier. Their three sons were all born in Narberth parish, probably in Sodstone to be more precise. They were John, born in about 1818, George in about 1820 and David in about 1824. Instead of becoming farmers like their father, they all became stone masons. Who would have paid for their apprenticeships? Would the authorities have done that after their father's death or if they had a relation who was a stone mason would he have taught them the trade without any involvement by the authorities? If Mary James and/or her sons had received financial assistance from the public purse would there be any surviving records of that? If so where would they be found? Roy

>In the 1861 census a relative of mine, Mary James, was described as a > "pauper." Does that mean that she would have been receiving financial > assistance from the authorities? Hi Roy Peter Higginbotham's excellent site should tell you all you would want to know about paupers and workhouses - mayb take some digging around as there's a lot on there http://users.ox.ac.uk/~peter/workhouse/index.html Gareth Genuki Wales http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/ Help Page http://home.clara.net/tirbach/hicks.html Cwmgors/Waun http://www.tytwp.plus.com/Waun/Waun.html ----- Original Message ----- From: "Roy Davies" <roydavies@gmail.com> To: <dyfed@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 4:48 PM Subject: [Dyfed] Support for paupers and their children before and after 1834 > In the 1861 census a relative of mine, Mary James, was described as a > "pauper." Does that mean that she would have been receiving financial > assistance from the authorities? She was living in one of the two > cottages in Redstone near Sodstone in Narberth parish with her > daughter Bridget James, who was a seamstress. Mary James had been > living in Redstone, probably in the same cottage, since the 1841 > census. > > In the 1851 census, she was living on her own and described not as a > pauper but as a "farmer's widow" and in the 1841 census when she was > living with another daughter, Sarah, and one of her sons, George she > was described simply as a "widow." > > Her husband, John James, had died in June 1833, the year before the > change to the Poor Law, and a newspaper report of the circumstances of > his death said that he had been "in a state of despondency from > poverty." Therefore it seems likely that his widow Mary James had been > a pauper ever since her husband's death, if not earlier. Their three > sons were all born in Narberth parish, probably in Sodstone to be more > precise. They were John, born in about 1818, George in about 1820 and > David in about 1824. Instead of becoming farmers like their father, > they all became stone masons. > > Who would have paid for their apprenticeships? Would the authorities > have done that after their father's death or if they had a relation > who was a stone mason would he have taught them the trade without any > involvement by the authorities? > > If Mary James and/or her sons had received financial assistance from > the public purse would there be any surviving records of that? If so > where would they be found? > > Roy >