The First Century of Welfare: Poverty and Poor Relief in Lancashire, 1620-1730

The first major regional study of poverty and its relief in the seventeenth century: the first century of welfare.

The English 'Old Poor Law' was the first national system of tax-funded social welfare in the world. It provided a safety net for hundreds of thousands of paupers at a time of very limited national wealth and productivity. The First Century of Welfare, which focusses on the poor, but developing, county of Lancashire, provides the first major regional study of poverty and its reli...