Poor Relief and Poorhouses

[janiegirl]

My gr grandmother applied for, and received poor relief in Glasgow at the turn of the 20th century because her husband was a "drunken good for nothing fellow". She also spent a short time in the poorhouse.

At the time she applied she had 2 sons and they are listed in the record of her application. During the time she was receiving poor relief I know that she had one son, my grandfather, but there is no record of him in the records of the claim. The amount she is awarded does change at times but his birth is not given as an explanation.

Any ideas why there would be no record of him?

Janiegirl

[Peter Goodey]

She would have kept very quiet about it unless she wanted her money cut off!!!

Did you not see Jeremy Paxman on Who Do You Think You Are?

[Peter Goodey]

Here's a cut-and-paste for you...

"The journey begins with a search for his maternal grandmother, Mabel McKay, and her parents in Glasgow...
... he then discovers that his great grandmother, the widowed Mary McKay, has her poor relief withdrawn because she had an illegitimate child. Rather than enter the poorhouse and risk being split up, she chooses to live in a "single-end"- one room in a slum tenement with no heating, lighting, or running water, and with eight of her eleven children to care for."

[janiegirl]

"The journey begins with a search for his maternal grandmother, Mabel McKay, and her parents in Glasgow...
... he then discovers that his great grandmother, the widowed Mary McKay, has her poor relief withdrawn because she had an illegitimate child. Rather than enter the poorhouse and risk being split up, she chooses to live in a "single-end"- one room in a slum tenement with no heating, lighting, or running water, and with eight of her eleven children to care for."


Thanks for that, I do remember that program, but my grandad wasn't illegitimate, I take it she may have had it withdrawn because her husband was a bad 'un.

Janiegirl[/QUOTE]

[olive maxwell]

I HAVE JUST GOT RECORD OF OUR GT GRANDFATHER GETTING POOR RELIEF
IN GLASGOW BUT HE WOULD NOT GO IN THE POORHOUSE 1900 AND IN THE
RECORDS HIS FATHER DIED IN POORHOUSE IN GLASGOW IN 1879 SEE IF
I CAN GET HIS DEATH RECORD IF THERE WAS ANY THEN

[janiegirl]

Hi Olive

Would you believe I was up a the Mitchell Library (where you would have got the records of the Poor Law in Glasgow from). You should find the death you want on scotlandspeople.gov.uk

Happy Hunting!

[benny1982]

Hi

A lot of poor relief records say that a person or family was due to enter the workhouse but they never actually did. They probably thought "No way" and found their own ways of surviving. My ancestors did it. Them not entering the workhouse was not cross referenced in the original poor relief register so it sent me on a wild goose chase as I searched all the major workhouses in that area of London.

Ben

[olive maxwell]

hi janiegirl
got the death records from scotlands people
we did not know he had 2nd wife had family with her
thats more family to look for p.s thanks for your help
yours olive|biggrin|