Part of a page from an
overseers' account book for St James parish, 1793.
It lists those who received poor relief in the week ending 25
October, and how much they received . (Ref. : St James Overseers'
Accounts 1789-1797)
If you find you have ancestors who fell on hard times, they
may have had to apply for poor relief.
Before 1834, poor relief was administered by each
local parish. Parish officers called overseers were responsible for
handing out relief. The Record Office holds only a small number of
records of parish poor relief. Follow
this link to see a brief list.
After 1834, poor relief was administered by poor law unions,
consisting of a number of parishes. Each poor law union
was run by an elected Board of Guardians. Follow this link to find out more about the
Bath Board of Guardians records.