The Poor Law Commission: a New Digital Resource for Nineteenth-century Domestic Historians

Abstract

Between early 2009 and mid June 2010 for The National Archives (TNA) project ‘Living the Poor Life’ over 200 volunteer editors catalogued in detail some 105 rather large volumes of poor law union correspondence. This collection of records is a part of the large MH 12 series, ‘Local Government Board and Predecessors: Correspondence with Poor Law Unions and Other Local Authorities’, held at TNA. The series is one of the key nineteenth century social and economic history sources for England and Wales. During the project TNA worked with several borough and county archives, local studies libraries, museums, and local, regional and family history societies.The records were scanned and the digital images made available on a project website for the volunteer groups to download. Individual volunteer editors then catalogued specific sets of the records, following agreed common standards. These catalogue entries were then uploaded into TNA’s online catalogue and the images themselves made available for researchers to download for free.The project unearthed a mass of detail (some 4.6 million words were added to the catalogue) on the administration of the workhouse system, developments in public health, crime, neglect and ill treatment of paupers, Chartism and trade union matters, and much more.In this article we examine how the records were created and how they are organized. We also, by reference to a series of examples, demonstrate the richness of the content for nineteenth century domestic historians. Whether for research in politics, trade, health or many other topics, these records will reward close and extensive examination. For those unions covered by this project such examination has become very much easier.