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Paisley Poor Law
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Renfrewshire's Local Studies Library has one of the richest Poor Law collections in Scotland.
You can view our Poor Law collection in the Local Studies Library without making a booking. We have records with indexes from 1839. Please note that you can only look at records from 1839 to 1930 because of the sensitivity of these records.
You can view our Poor Law collection in the Local Studies Library without making a booking. We have records with indexes from 1839. Please note that you can only look at records from 1839 to 1930 because of the sensitivity of these records.
Only those people who couldn't support themselves because of age or incapacity could claim poor relief. The able-bodied poor were not generally entitled to it, but in practice they often received some help. During the period covered by our records, poor relief was given out by parochial boards.
The information contained in applications for poor relief can be very useful to people researching their family history. Records contain the applicant's:
- name
- age
- marital status, including previous spouses
- detailed information on their children
- their religion
- their employment status
- any other sources of income they may have
- the reason for their application
- details of their disability
For more information about poor relief, please visit the National Archives of Scotland website.
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