same families own the land. The same family, till recently, held the incumbency. The same names appear, almost without exception, amongst the farmers and labourers. There are still a few living who were born under the old Poor Law. There are many more who can remember well some of the old people whose names appear upon the parish books. The chief change in the external conditions is that the land, which was then largely agricultural, is now everywhere sown down to grass, and that the economic conditions in that respect would appear to be less favourable to the labourer than one hundred years ago.
What, then, are the present conditions in respect to poor relief? They may be stated in a sentence. The report of the Union for 1905-6 shows that during that time there were nine indoor and nine outdoor paupers for the whole year belonging to the village in question. If we estimate the cost of maintenance of indoor paupers at 5s. a week, the cost for them would be £117. The cost of the outdoor paupers was £52, and the total £169, as against £995 in 1831-2. The value of the change is not, however, to be measured by the reduction of the cost, but by the improvement in the condition of the people. Poor they still are, but there is little or no distress amongst them; and their poverty is as nothing compared with that of one hundred years ago. They are better fed, better clothed, and better housed, and many of them have something to spare for sick clubs. They seldom ask for any form of relief, and no one nowadays would dream of asking to be paid for attendance upon a sick relation. The prevailing spirit is entirely different from that of other days. Bastardy has practically disappeared. The village is no longer a village of paupers, but one of self-respecting citizens.
The conditions are not, of course, even now
