“Placed Therein and Managed”: The Church of England, Poor Relief, and Elite Political Power

Abstract

South Carolina's established church and its vestries functioned as another branch of colonial government. This chapter discusses poor relief, the parish vestries, and the Church of England within a comprehensive discussion of political power in colonial South Carolina. These institutions have not been examined in that particular context, nor has their role in carrying out the will of South Carolina's ruling class as tools of government. South Carolina's political historians have almost entirely disregarded church governance. Even religious historians have paid relatively little attention to the vestries' role in government. However, the vestries and the administration of poor relief need to be considered as political, because the elite controlled the vestries, and their priorities, agendas, and governing philosophies directed how these parish committees carried out important government functions.Keywords: church; colonial government; England; parish vestries; South Carolina