Petty Tyranny and Oppression

This book focuses on one of the most contentious areas of English and Welsh poor law history: the exercise of petty tyranny by officials on the workhouse poor. The book examines the period from the late-eighteenth-century crisis of the Old Poor Law, through the adoption of the New Poor Law reform in...

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Aineistotyyppi: Online
Kieli:englanti
Julkaistu: London Publishing Partnership 2026
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Linkit:https://londonpublishingpartnership.co.uk/books/petty-tyranny-and-oppression/
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collection Directory of Open Access Books
description This book focuses on one of the most contentious areas of English and Welsh poor law history: the exercise of petty tyranny by officials on the workhouse poor. The book examines the period from the late-eighteenth-century crisis of the Old Poor Law, through the adoption of the New Poor Law reform in 1834, the loosening of the ‘principles of 1834’ in the 1890s, and on past the early-twentieth-century Liberal reforms, to the eve of World War I. This long chronological sweep thus examines the Old and New Poor Laws together as experienced by generations of pauper inmates. For the first time the notion of ‘tyranny’ and its various typologies within the historical workhouse estate is set out clearly and tested against archival evidence of neglect, beatings, refusal to supply adequate relief, the denial of medical aid, and much more. While other work has centred on discipline and scandal, we instead examine the everyday experience of tyranny in the round – the potential for which was a central part of workhouse life and fed into the common fear and loathing of ‘the House’ – and the ways that it might have been contained and resisted. The book draws on a wide archival base including pamphlets; diaries, overseers’ accounts and vestry minutes; the records of the central poor law authority; orders and circulars; punishment books; and local, regional and national newspapers. This collective archive contains many thousands of accounts of tyrannical behaviours throughout the whole of England and Wales and across the whole period.
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spelling doab-20.500.12854ir-1780572026-06-27T05:21:29Z Petty Tyranny and Oppression disability New Poor Law paupers poverty and welfare punishment tyranny Victorian Poor Law workhouses thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHD European history thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHQ History of other geographical groupings and regions thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHT History: specific events and topics This book focuses on one of the most contentious areas of English and Welsh poor law history: the exercise of petty tyranny by officials on the workhouse poor. The book examines the period from the late-eighteenth-century crisis of the Old Poor Law, through the adoption of the New Poor Law reform in 1834, the loosening of the ‘principles of 1834’ in the 1890s, and on past the early-twentieth-century Liberal reforms, to the eve of World War I. This long chronological sweep thus examines the Old and New Poor Laws together as experienced by generations of pauper inmates. For the first time the notion of ‘tyranny’ and its various typologies within the historical workhouse estate is set out clearly and tested against archival evidence of neglect, beatings, refusal to supply adequate relief, the denial of medical aid, and much more. While other work has centred on discipline and scandal, we instead examine the everyday experience of tyranny in the round – the potential for which was a central part of workhouse life and fed into the common fear and loathing of ‘the House’ – and the ways that it might have been contained and resisted. The book draws on a wide archival base including pamphlets; diaries, overseers’ accounts and vestry minutes; the records of the central poor law authority; orders and circulars; punishment books; and local, regional and national newspapers. This collective archive contains many thousands of accounts of tyrannical behaviours throughout the whole of England and Wales and across the whole period. 2026-06-27T05:21:28Z 2026-06-27T05:21:28Z 2026-06-26T13:44:11Z 2026 book https://londonpublishingpartnership.co.uk/books/petty-tyranny-and-oppression/ https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/114435 9781916749641 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/178057 eng open access image/jpeg https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/114435/4/9781916749641.pdf London Publishing Partnership 10.66873/TBCW1704 10.66873/TBCW1704 9781916749641 London Publishing Partnership 268 open access
spellingShingle disability
New Poor Law
paupers
poverty and welfare
punishment
tyranny
Victorian Poor Law
workhouses
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHD European history
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHQ History of other geographical groupings and regions
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHT History: specific events and topics
Petty Tyranny and Oppression
title Petty Tyranny and Oppression
title_full Petty Tyranny and Oppression
title_fullStr Petty Tyranny and Oppression
title_full_unstemmed Petty Tyranny and Oppression
title_short Petty Tyranny and Oppression
title_sort petty tyranny and oppression
topic disability
New Poor Law
paupers
poverty and welfare
punishment
tyranny
Victorian Poor Law
workhouses
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHD European history
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHQ History of other geographical groupings and regions
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHT History: specific events and topics
topic_facet disability
New Poor Law
paupers
poverty and welfare
punishment
tyranny
Victorian Poor Law
workhouses
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHD European history
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHQ History of other geographical groupings and regions
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHT History: specific events and topics
url https://londonpublishingpartnership.co.uk/books/petty-tyranny-and-oppression/