Workhouses Act 1790

AN ACT to empower Justices and other Persons to visit Parish Workhouses or Poorhouses, and examine and certify the State and Condition of the Poor therein to the Quarter Sessions.

WHEREAS the laws now in being for the regulating parish workhouses or poorhouses have been found in certain instances deficient and ineffectual, especially when the poor in such houses are afflicted with contagious or infectious diseases, in which cases particular attention to their lodging, diet, cloathing, bedding and medicines is requisite: Be it therefore enacted by the King's most excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the lords spiritual and temporal, and commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, that from and after the twenty-ninth day of September one thousand seven hundred and ninety it shall and may be lawful to and for any of his Majesty's justices of the peace, or any physician, surgeon or apothecary for that purpose authorized by warrant under the hand and seal of any such justice or justices, or for the officiating clergyman of the parish or place duly authorized as aforesaid, at all times in the day time to visit any parish workhouse or house kept or provided for the maintenance of the poor of any parish or place within the county, riding, liberty or division wherein such justice or justices shall be resident and shall have jurisdiction, to examine into the state and condition of the poor people therein, and the food, cloathing and bedding of such poor people, and the state and condition of such house or houses; and if upon any such visitation the said justice or justices or persons duly authorized as aforesaid shall find any cause or occasion of copmlaint, that then and in such case such justice or justices or persons duly authorized as aforesaid shall and they are hereby authorized and impowered, if he or they shall think fit, to certify the state and condition of such workhouse or poorhouse, and the state of the poor therein, and of their food, cloathing and bedding, to the next quarter sessions of the peace to be held for such county, riding, liberty or division wherein such workhouse or poorhouse shall be situate, under his or their hands and seals respectively; and such justice or justices or other persons duly authorized as aforesaid shall cause the overseers of the poor, or master or governor of the said workhouse or poorhouse of such parish or place, to be summoned to appear at the same sessions to answer such complaint; and the justices assembled at such quarter sessions on hearing the parties on any such complaint shall and may and they are hereby authorized to make such orders and regulations for the removing of any cause of complained contained in such certificate as aforesaid as to them shall seem meet, and all the parties concerned shall and they are hereby required to abide by and perform such orders and regulations as shall be so made by the justices at the said sessions.

PROVIDED always, and be it further enacted by authority aforesaid, that in case any justice or justices of the peace or persons duly authorized by warrant as aforesaid shall upon any such visitation find any of the poor in any parish workhouse or poorhouse afflicted with any contagious or infectious disease, or in want of immediate medical or other assistance or of sufficient and proper food, or requiring separation or removal from the other poor in the said house, then and in such case or cases, if such visitation shall be made by a justice of the peace, it shall and may be lawful to and for such justice and he is hereby directed and required to apply to one or more other justice or justices of the peace in the county, riding, liberty or division, and certify to him or them the state and condition of the poor in such parish workhouse or poorhouse, or if such visitation shall be made by the persons duly authorized as aforesaid, then and in such case or cases it shall and may be lawful to and for such persons and they are hereby directed and required to apply to two or more justices of the peace in such county, riding, liberty or division, and thereupon the said justices shall and may and they are hereby authorized to make such order for the immediate procuring medical or other assistance or of sufficient and proper food, or for the separation or removal of such poor as shall be afflicted with any contagious or infectious disease, in such manner as they the said justices under their hands and seals shall think proper to direct, until the next quarter sessions of the peace to be held in and for the said county, riding, liberty or division wherein such workhouse or poorhouse shall be situate, at which quarter sessions of the peace the said two justices are to certify the same, under their hands and seals respectively, to the justices assembled at such quarter sessions, who are hereby authorized and required to make such order for the further relief of the poor in such parish workhouse or poorhouse as to the justices assembled at such quarter sessions shall seem meet and proper; and the charges and expences of relieving such poor shall be and is hereby directed to be paid out of the poor's rate of such parish in such manner as the said justices assembled at such quarter sessions shall direct.

PROVIDED always, that nothing herein contained shall extend or be construed to extend to any poorhouse or workhouse in any district or districts which have been or may be hereafter incorporated or regulated by any special Act or Acts of Parliament.