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Archival description

Comprises minutes of the meetings of the Board of Guardians of the York Poor Law Union (also known as Union minutes); and from 1929 the minutes of the Public Assistance Committee.

See also Flaxton Out-Relief Union, Board of Guardians minutes PLU/1/12; and York Out-Relief Union, Board of Guardians minutes PLU/1/13

Includes approved minutes and draft minutes of the York Out-Relief Union Boards of Guardians and Relief Committees Nos 1,2, and 3.

See PLU/1/3/4-5 for combined mintues of the York Union and York Out-Relief Union Finance Committee minutes; and PLU/1/4/1-8 for combined minutes of the York Union and York Out-Relief Union Collecting Committee.

York Out-Relief Union, Relief Committees Nos 1, 2 and 3 (1907-1930)

Minutes and agenda of the meetings of the Public Assistance Committee (renamed the Social Welfare Committee from 17 Jul 1947 to Aug 1948). Comprises approved and draft minutes.

The Pubic Assistance Committee met to discuss and approve a range of matters relating to the administration of the poor law.

The minutes may include references to named individuals if there was a reason for bringing an individual case to the attention of the Committee .

Note that agenda only exist for the period Feb1946-July 1948.

Approved minutes of the York Poor Law Union Children's Committee and Boarding Out Comittee; and the Children's and Boarding Out Sub-Committees of the Public Assistance Committee.

Most volumes are indexed.

See also PLU/1/8 for combined minutes and PLU/6 for other records relating to child welfare.

Public Assistance Committee | Children's and Boarding-Out Committee

Hotel offered for sale following a case in Chancery [Wilkinson versus Wilkinson]. The Guardians purchased the hotel for the purpose of erecting new poor law offices.

Comprises correspondence; papers relating to sale and purchase; and historic title deeds s for Etridge's Royal Hotel.

Includes admission and discharge books for the inmates of the York Workhouse (later called the City Institution and The Grange); admission and discharge books for the casual (wandering) poor; and porters' admission and discharge books.

From 1869 Masters of workhouses were required to record the religious affiliation of inmates in Creed Registers so that appropriate measures could be taken in the event of illness or death.

Details recorded in each register vary over time but usually include: name; date of admission; religious creed; name of informant; and in some cases date of discharge or death. Registers from 1906 record occupation and address of relation or friend. Registers from 1908 include 'place admitted from' or 'where slept last night' in each entry.

At the outbreak of war in 1939 the infirmary of the old workhouse was equipped to become an Emergency Medical Services Hospital. The infirmary received 77 non-civilian patients in 1939, 623 in 1940 and 434 in 1941. Creed Registers from 1939-1941 therefore record admissions details of military war casualties (see refs PLU/2/3/17-19)

From 1942 emergency medical patients were treated at the new hospital which had opened next door to the infirmary.

Entries are either listed in rough alphabetical order or indexed.

Records details of individuals who applied for relief (welfare) through the Relieving Officer of the York Poor Law Union and, after 1930, the Public Assistance Committee.

Comprises application and report books; abstracts of application and report books; and application, report and transitional payments determination lists (Public Assistance Committee).

Weekly outdoor relief lists

Relief lists record the amounts of out-relief (i.e. welfare payments in money or in kind) granted to individiuals on a weekly basis. Lists were kept by the Relieving Officers of the York Poor Law Union. Note that these lists record payments to individuals who were not in the workhouse.

Comprises weekly outdoor relief lists; abstracts of outdoor relief lists; and index of persons appearing in outdoor relief lists.

Summary accounts of monies received by the relieving officer and amounts of relief charged to each parishes/ward.

Note, these records contain very few names of individuals. Individuals are only recorded where their particular case has incurred extra costs.

Comprises relief and expenditure books for the York Poor Law Union, York Out-Relief Union, Bishopthorpe Out-Relief Union, Escrick Out-Relief Union and Flaxton Out-Relief Union.

Summary accounts listing businesses and organisations that provided vouchers for goods and services, which were then granted as relief in kind to those living in poverty.

Records cover the City District only.

Note, these are financial records and do not contain names of individuals.

Records orders made by the Collecting Committee to recover payments of relief (welfare payments) made to individuals. The Collecting Committee usually ordered liable relatives to contribute to the maintenance of destitute and poor relations.
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The entries record the name of the person chargeable (i.e. receiving welfare); name of liable relative; address; order and amount to be repaid.

Note: volumes PLU/4/1/5-8 were missing as at Dec 2016.

Comprises notices sent to relatives (or other persons) liable for destitute relatives. Notices to contribute towards maintenance costs were sent from the Board of Guardians and later the Public Assistance Committee.

Notices were sent to individuals who were considered liable for the maintenance of destitute and poor relatives.

Maintenance payment ledgers

Records payments made by individuals toward the cost of maintaining relatives in receipt of outdoor, indoor or asylum relief.
Includes name of relative making the payment; relationship to person receiving relief; amounts and dates of payments; in most cases also indicates type of relief being granted.

See also PLU/4/4 Collectors' Ledgers

Collectors' ledgers

Collector's ledgers record payments made by relatives (or organisations) towards the cost of maintaining individuals receiving out-relief, housed in a York Poor Law institution, or in an asylum.

Includes name of pauper; name and address of contributor; date of original order; and record of payments. Some entries may include further observations.

See also PLU/4/3 Maintenance payment ledgers.

Note that ledgers PLU/4/4/5-7 and PLU/4/4/16 were missing as at Nov 2016.

Collectors' receipt books

Contain carbon copies of receipts for payments made towards the maintenance of individuals in receipt of poor relief. Relatives were usually required to contribute towards the maintenance of poor and destitute relations, however pension funds and other organisations also appear in these receipts.

Includes date; name of person/organisation making the payment; amount of payment; name of person receiving relief or relation to person making the payment; and category of relief (e.g. outdoor, indoor or lunatic)

Comprises registers of non-resident and non-settled poor chargeable to the York Poor Law Union, and after 1930 the York Public Assistance Committee.

Non-resident poor refers to individuals receiving poor relief who were legally settled in York but residing elsewhere.

Non -settled poor refers to individuals receiving relief who were living in York but legally settled elsewhere.

Comprises registers of children under the care of the York Board of Guardians and later the Public Assistance Committtee.

Includes registers of children who have been boarded-out with foster parents in private homes; registers of children in certified schools and other institutions; and registers of children in farm service.

See also minutes of the Children's/Boarding Out Committee ref PLU/1/6 and PLU/1/8

Registers of smallpox vaccinations compiled by Vaccination Officers of the York Poor Law Union using extracts from the Registrar's Registers of Births.

Some volumes include inserted correspondence relating to individual vaccination cases.

Includes registers for the City and Rural Districts of the York Poor Law Union.

Comprises poor rate books for parishes within the city area of the York Poor Law Union. Also includes some lighting rate books.

Information recorded for each rateable property may include: name of occupier; name of owner; description of property (e.g. house, garden, public house); name and situation of property; rateable value of property; amount of rate; amount of rate collected.

Note that earlier rate books may not include a street address for the property.

Ward rate books

Comprises poor rate books for wards within the city area of the York Poor Law Union.

Information recorded for each rateable property may include: name of occupier; name of owner; description of property (e.g. house, garden, public house); name and situation of property; rateable value of property; amount of rate; amount of rate collected.

NOT AVAILABLE FOR CONSULTATION UNTIL JUNE 2018

Collection and deposit books were records of accounts kept by the Collector of Poor Rates. They record all sums received, deposited and paid by the Collector. Also includes one volume of Collector's monthly statements.

Note, these records do not contain details of individuals or properties.

Includes books for the following parishes: St Maurice; St Giles; and St Cuthbert, St Helen on the Walls and All Saints, Peasholme

Notices to overseers of the poor from the York Poor Law Union Assessment Committee regarding amendments to the appoved valuation list.

The notices record amendments to the valuation of individual properties for the purpose of collecting the poor rate. The amendments were made following objections to the original valuation list.

Includes name of property owner or occupier; brief address; and amended rateable value.