Catalogue description Folios 16-17. Letter from R B Spencer [Richard Birch Spencer], Clerk to the Guardians of...

Folios 16-17. Letter from R B Spencer [Richard Birch Spencer], Clerk to the Guardians of the Basford Poor Law Union, to the Poor Law Commission, asking for a temporary suspension of the Prohibitory Order in order that they can give out relief to operatives.

The application is made because of the 'extremely bad state of the Lace Trade... great numbers of hitherto respectable men being thrown out of employment + what little they may have saved speedily exhausted'.

There are numerous applications for relief but the guardians are unwilling to press all of them into the workhouse.

The trade will, it is thought, pick up and the above is considered the best way to proceed.

Annotated: [Robert Weale, Assistant Poor Law Commissioner] does not see the justice of relaxing the Prohibitory Order and claims 'this class of persons' earn more that poor stocking makers or agricultural labourers, as the order is not in place at Bridgford or Nottingham it might not be desirable to press the adoption of the workhouse system too strictly.

He suggests the Commission consider allowing the guardians to find work for the men to be performed in exchange for relief given.

The annotation is then written out as a separate note.

Paper Number: 678/B/1846.

Poor Law Union Number: 334.

Counties: Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.