Powys Digital History Project 

Care of the poor
Paying for the poor 
  An order for weekly payments
Throughout the long period of our history which placed responsibility for the care of the poorest members of society at parish level, a very tight control on the level of the local poor rate was maintained. There are a wide range of records among the Quarter Sessions documents which reflect this concern.
The extract shown below is an order to a resident of Ystradgynlais to pay a weekly sum to the parish authorities to support his aged parents.

 Breconshire
Quarter Sessions
Michaelmas 1767

Powys
County Archives
B/QS/O/5

 Quarter Sessions extract
 

The extract shown above is from the Order Book of the Breconshire Quarter Sessions, and it reads as follows:
"Ystradgunlais:
Evan John Howell of the said Parish of Ystradgunlais Yeoman and Elizabeth his wife being poor Impotent and Aged and unable to maintain themselves and being now chargeable to the Inhabitants of the said Parish and it is appearing to this Court that John Evan their son of the same Parish is a Person of Ability and capable of maintaining his Father and Mother It is Ordered that he do pay into the Hands of the Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor of the said Parish the Sum of One Shilling and Eight pence Weekly towards the support of his said Parents until further Orders."

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