# Poor Relief Act 1691, Section XI


43 Eliz. c. 2. A Register to be kept of the Admittances of the Poor.; Parishioners yearly in Easter Week, &c. to make a List of their Poor.; None but those in the List to receive Alms, except by Order of Justice, &c. Exception.
And whereas many inconveniences do daily arise in Cities Townes Corporate and Parishes where the Inhabitants are very numerous by reason of the unlimited power of the Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor who do frequently upon frivolous pretences (but chiefly for their owne private ends) give relief to what persons and number they think fitt and such persons being entred into the Collection Bill do become after that a great charge to the Parish notwithstanding the occasion or pretence of their receiving Collection oftentimes ceases by which meanes the Rates for the Poor are daily increased contrary to the true intent of a Statute made in the Forty third yeare of the Raigne of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth Entituled An Act for the Relief of the Poor. For remedying of which and preventing the like abuses for the future Be it further Enacted That from and after the First day of March there shall be provided and kept in every Parish (att the charge of the same Parish) a Book or Books wherein the Names of all such persons who do or may receive Collection shall be registred with the day and year when they were first admitted to have Relief and the occasion which brought them under that necessity And that yearly in Easter Week (or as often as it shall be thought convenient) the Parishioners of every Parish shall meet in their Vestry or other usual place of meeting in the same Parish before whom the said Book shall be produced and all persons receiving Collection to be called over and the reasons of their taking relief examined and a new List made and entered of such persons as they shall think fitt and allow to receive Collection and that no other person be allowed to have or receive Collection att the Charge of the said Parish but by Authority under the Hand of one Justice of the Peace residing within such Parish or (if none be there dwelling) in the Parts near or next adjoyning or by Order of the Justices in their respective Quarter Sessions except in cases of Pestilential Diseases Plague or Small Pox for and in respect of such Families only as are or shall be therewith infected.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/aep/WillandMar/3/11/section/XI (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/poor-relief-act-1691/section-XI
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.