The Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601 governed the administration of the old, the infirm, orphans, the unemployed and those who were generally unable to look after themselves.  This was done through the local Parish by levying a poor rate upon those within the parish who had land or businesses.  The monies were collected by the two Parish overseers, who were appointed each year by the local Justices of the Peace.  Although the parish was supposed to provide 'necessary places of habitation' for 'poor impotent people' in fact many parishes were unable to comply with this part of the Act and gave relief in money or provisions. In the 17th century some parishes issued local halfpenny and/or farthing tokens many of which bore legends such as "to be changed by the overseers" or "for the use(or benefit) of the poor".

Andover 1666		Sherborne 1669
Weymouth 1669		Peterborough 1669

The 18th century produced some reorganisation in the administration of the Poor Law with the passing of "Gilbert's Act" in 1782.  This Act enabled parishes to join together in poor law unions and build large workhouses, one of these being the Birmingham Poorhouse.

Birmingham Poorhouse Tokens

One shilling and sixpence		Halfpenny 1796

The early 19th Century saw a few more issues of copper and some silver tokens from workhouses in Birmingham, Bradford, Halesowen, Leeds, Sheffield, Tunstead and Happing(Suffolk) and Worcester.

Sheffield penny 1813		Leeds shilling 1812

Worcester halfpenny 1811
Tunstead and Happing Penny 1812

Breadtickets section.

The 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act was an attempt to reduce the amount of the Poor Rate by dissuading claimants from going "on the parish".  The Act brought in the concept of "less eligibility", this was to ensure that no one entering the workhouse could possibly be "better off" than those outside.  Whereas Gilbert's Act had made it possible for parishes to combine voluntarily and build a common workhouse, the new Act compulsorily grouped parishes into unions.  Within a few years most unions had built union workhouses to accommodate their poor.  In reality though few unions were able to accommodate all of their poor and infirm within the workhouse, so the practice of "outdoor relief" continued.  The series of tokens issued by Poor Law Unions between 1834 and 1930 when the workhouses were transferred to the County Councils are not as well documented as previous issues and new, or previously unrecorded, examples still turn up.  Below are a few examples.

Bedford Union		Biggleswade Union

St Olave's Union (Bermondsey)

Pieces have also been recorded from;- Ampthill (Beds), Hitchin (Herts), Hardingstone (Northants), Huntingdon (Cambs) and Fulham (London).  Many are numbered, one to four appears to be the norm.  The numbers refer to Districts within the respective Union.  The Hardingstone piece has "4lb" on one side.  Many bear the legend "bread ticket".  All those seen by me are 28 to 32mm.  And can occur in brass, copper, zinc or bracteate iron.

The compiler of this section would welcome information on any other post 1834 workhouse pieces which collectors are aware of.

Compiled by Trevor Owens - 2007.