The Paupers of Hadleigh
a talk by Clive Paine on
27th April
Why is
it that Hadleigh always seems to be different? Having learned some of the
ramifications of the Peculiar from Sue Andrews, Clive Paine revealed how
Hadleigh showed the way in dealing with unemployment in the 1830s. Clive’s act
(much more animated than just a talk) revolved around the impact of the New Poor
Law of 1834 which dramatically cut what ratepayers had to pay to support the
poor, with a corresponding impact on the lives of the unfortunates. Part of the
scheme involved a rationalisation of the parish arrangements into a larger
workhouse for a whole Union of parishes. East Suffolk had already lead the way
in this up to 50 years earlier, and so had neighbouring Cosford, but in 1830
Hadleigh still took responsibility for its own poor. When the new law was
introduced Hadleigh could have left its poor to the Cosford workhouse but the
parish wanted to do better. The opportunity presented to them was the booming
developments elsewhere in the country. In particular the new factories of
Lancashire and W. Yorkshire were looking for weaving and spinning skills that
were strong in these parts. Archdeacon Lyall dispatched Robert Kersey and Mr
Ansell with two labourers to investigate the prospects. One of the men found
work on the Birmingham railway construction at 17/- a week before even reaching
Lancashire and duly sent for his family who between them would earn 51/-.
Lancashire proved equally promising and Robert Kersey subsequently organised the
migration of 100-200 people. To establish the trust of the employers it was
important to send the best the workhouse could supply: widows with more grown up
children were ideal since the factories employed children in preference to
adults. Although Hadleigh’s operation was unique in its autonomy, the Poor Law
Commissioners altogether organised the migration of about 400 people from the
South and East, of which about 50% came from Suffolk. In the reports of the time
there were some glowingly satisfied families, but the industrial boom was short
lived and in 1837 a depression drove many of the migrants back to the Suffolk
workhouses that continued to be responsible for them. Nevertheless there are
still many today in the North West who could trace their ancestry back to places
which Lancastrian census-takers misreported as Kerseyalley, Adley and Whitfield.
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