A Comprehensive History of Norwich

by A. D. Bayne

Poor Law Reform.

1846. About the year 1846, the high rates in Norwich became the subject of complaint and discussion. A good deal of alarm was excited in the city in consequence of a proposal of Sir Robert Peel, then prime minister, to alter the law of settlement, so that all persons who had resided five years in any place should have a permanent settlement there. As many families belonging to the county parishes were then resident in Norwich, it was feared that they would become chargeable to the city and be a permanent burden on the rate-payers. This apprehension proved to be well founded, for after the passing of the Poor Removal Act, hundreds of county families did become chargeable to the city, and have been so ever since.

Mr. G. Gedge, of Catton, instituted inquiries on the subject; and being a member of the court of guardians, often called attention to it. He was, in fact, the first in this city to advocate a general or national rate as the most effectual remedy for the evils of the then existing system of rating. He spared neither time, trouble, nor expense in promoting his views, which were generally approved by the more influential citizens. He employed Mr. Hutchinson, an eminent statist in London, on the recommendation of Mr. Wakley, to collect information respecting the gross inequalities of the system of rating all over England, and this information was published and circulated in a valuable work, from which nearly all the statistics on the subject have been derived and quoted by members of Parliament.

Mr. Gedge introduced the question of a national rate at many meetings of the court of guardians in 1846. He showed that the poor rates then collected annually amounted to about five millions. Nearly the same sum was raised by the property and income tax; and it followed that if only those were rated who paid the latter tax, the charge throughout England and Wales for the support of the poor would not amount to more than sevenpence in the pound. But including all the parties not then chargeable to the property and income tax, and who would be fairly liable to the poor rates, the annual rate would not amount to more than half that sum. This would be a most important difference to the great mass of the rate-payers, whose payments to the relief of the poor would be greatly diminished, whilst they would have the pleasure of knowing that the poor would be better cared for, and that those comforts which they had a right to expect, as producers of wealth, would be placed more immediately within their reach.

Mr. Gedge explained that, as all the parishes in the city were incorporated in regard to the relief of the poor, a general rate being raised from all those parishes for that purpose, his proposition was that this general mode of rating should be extended over the whole country, and that a general rate should be raised to be applied for the relief of the poor wherever they were located. He showed that if each parish in this city supported its own poor, the rating would be very unequal, and some of the richest parishes would pay least, while the poorest and more populous would pay most. To prevent this inequality, all the parishes had been incorporated. This had been found to be a great improvement, and it should be further extended. Many persons, fund-holders and others, living in lodgings, were exempted from poor rates. Many large establishments in Cheapside and the middle of London paid no poor rates, because the poor did not live in those localities. Many persons living in fashionable towns also escaped poor rates, for the same reason, while the industrious and the middle classes had to bear the burden. He therefore maintained that there should be a national rate.

Most of the members of the court of guardians concurred with these views, and ultimately a petition to Parliament was adopted in favour of a national rate. The petition was duly presented in the House of Commons.

On Wednesday, June 10th, 1846, an important meeting of the rate-payers of the city was held in the sessions court, at the Guildhall, to petition Parliament against the Poor Law Removal Act, which had been lately introduced into the House of Commons. The mayor, J. Betts, Esq., presided and opened the proceedings. Mr. S. Bignold, Mr. T. Brightwell, Mr. J. G. Johnson, Mr. E. Willett, Mr. A. A. H. Beckwith, Mr. Banks, Mr. Newbegin, Mr. Hardy, & Mr. G. Gedge, addressed the meeting in support of resolutions, and a petition was adopted against the proposed alteration in the Law of Settlement and the Poor Law Removal Bill. Mr. G. Gedge moved a resolution,—

“That this meeting is decidedly of opinion that the only effectual alteration of the law of settlement, by which free scope would be given to the labour of the people, would be to abolish the present law of settlement and rating, and to substitute a general national tax on real and personal property, and that a petition founded on this resolution be presented to the House of Commons.”

He showed the very injurious operation of the law then existing, and expressed his belief that a national rate, if obtained, would prove a great benefit to the city. Mr. Sheriff Colman seconded the resolution, which was carried unanimously.

After this meeting, two petitions were presented to Parliament, from this city, in favour of a national rate; one from the court of guardians, and one from the citizens at large. These petitions, however, had no effect, and the Poor Law Removal Bill was passed into a law. The consequence was, that about 1500 families belonging to county parishes, who had lived five years in the city, obtained a settlement in it, and most of them soon applied for relief. This greatly increased the expenditure for the relief of the poor.