Behind the Poor Law records are real people whose lives were shaped by hardship, resilience and community support. This collection follows the experiences of villagers from Armitage and Handsacre while explaining the systems of parish relief, settlement, apprenticeship, charity and the workhouse that governed everyday life for more than two centuries.
Tag: Greatrix
From Parish Relief to the Workhouse
The New Poor Law of 1834 transformed the way poverty was managed, replacing local parish relief with the workhouse. Yet the change was neither immediate nor complete. Using records from Armitage and the Lichfield Workhouse, this article explores how familiar village families experienced one of the most significant changes in nineteenth-century social welfare.
Earning a Living Repairing the Roads
Poor relief was not always a handout. Parish records show men and women earning wages repairing the roads, allowing them to support themselves while improving the community. Following the fortunes of Samuel Mills and others, this article reveals how work, hardship and parish responsibility were often closely connected.
Hannah Greatrix and the Law of Settlement
When Hannah Greatrix was widowed in 1750, the law decided where she and her baby belonged. Forced to leave Yoxall and move to Armitage, perhaps to a village she barely knew, her story reveals how the Old Poor Law’s settlement rules could shape the lives of ordinary families, regardless of their own wishes.
The Coronation Carnival of 1937
How did Armitage and Handsacre celebrate the Coronation of George VI in 1937? Drawing on committee records, newspaper reports and surviving invoices, this article recreates a remarkable day of carnival processions, fancy dress, races, teas, torchlight parades and a giant bonfire. It also reveals the extraordinary planning behind the celebrations and offers a vivid glimpse of community life in the parish before the Second World War.
Drunk and …
The introduction of beerhouses in 1830 led to more disorder and drunkenness and this is just a selection of the troubles our ancestors got into because of drink.
Handsacre poachers
In 1849 a gang of young men from Armitage and Handsacre set out to poach pheasants on a neighbouring estate, only to become involved in a violent confrontation with police and gamekeepers. Drawing on contemporary newspaper reports and court records, this article reconstructs the events of that November night and follows the fate of the men involved, revealing the harsh realities of poverty, the Game Laws and Victorian justice.