Ancestry have reached agreement with the London Metropolitan Archives to host images of the Poor Law Records held by that repository. Dissappointingly the indexing associated with those images is virtually non-existent. The details held by the Admissions and Discharges register I have looked at is up to the detail available in the census. It is a treasure trove. I need to find my forebears in this register and I know they were there in 1889. So I have undertaken an indexing task. I will post progress here.
The following is extracted from the Ancestry web site:
London, England, Poor Law Records, 1834-1940
This database contains various poor law records for London from 1695-1940. Poor law generally refers to poor individuals such as the elderly, orphaned, unemployed, or sick and afflicted. These individuals were eligible to recieve help such as monetary relief and other daily necessities such as food, clothing, and work. Children could be appointed to apprenticeships or placed in schools and other institutions. Poor law records includes registers of creed, school, apprentices, servants, children, and inmates, among others.
Historical Background:
For many centuries, the responsibility of caring for the poor was left to the church. In 1572 the office of the overseer of the poor was established to help with this cause. In 1601 the Poor Law Act was enacted, which provided for a poor rate levy (to help with the funding), and the distribution of the relief by the overseers.
The 1601 law remained in effect until 1834 when a new law, the Poor Law Amendment Act was enacted. This new law formed parishes into groups called Unions. Each Union elected a Board of Guardians, which was then responsible for the care of the poor, rather than the individual parishes.
Individuals who received relief generally included the elderly, orphaned, unemployed, or sick and afflicted. In addition to monetary relief, other daily necessities such as food, clothing, and work were provided. Children could be appointed to apprenticeships or placed in schools and other institutions.