Catalogue description Content: Folios 36-37. Letter from [William Augustine Greening], Guardian, Bromsgrove...

Ordering and viewing options

  • Free

  • Download format PDF
  • Approximate size 0.5 MB

Order up to 10 items per basket, and up to 100 in a 30 day period.

Details of MH 12/13904/28
Reference: MH 12/13904/28
Description:
Content: Folios 36-37. Letter from [William Augustine Greening], Guardian, Bromsgrove Poor Law Union, to the Poor Law Commission, referring to the election for guardians about to take place and asking for their opinion. Previous to overseers obtaining the last poor rate the writer and others examined lists of 500 people who were considered to be excused the payments then due. Many of the persons so excused had previously regularly paid their rates and only agreed to be excused following the solicitation of the overseers. Many would have paid their rates rather than forego and be deprived of their privilege of voting as proved by the fact that many have now paid their rates prior to the election, while others have expressed surprise that they were excused. It is the writer's opinion that such excuses resulting in disenfranchising these ratepayers were carried out 'at the whim and caprice of the overseers just to save them the task of collecting rates'. He now asks: Are excused ratepayers deprived of their privilege of voting in this election of guardians, and do they come under that section of the Poor Law Amendment Act, presuming at the time they have been rated for the whole year. Are overseers justified in leaving voting papers with persons so excused. If the ratepayers have to the privilege of inspecting the voting after the election is terminated. Annotated: [George Coode, Assistant Secretary to the Poor Law Commission]. Draft letter response [largely illegible]. Paper Number: 2307/C/1839. Poor Law Union Number 526. Counties: Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire.
Date: 24 Mar 1839
Held by: The National Archives, Kew
Legal status: Public Record(s)
Language: English
Closure status: Open Document, Open Description

Have you found an error with this catalogue description?

Help with your research