Narratives of the Poor in Eighteenth-Century England

Volume 1: Voices of the Poor: Poor Law Depositions and Letters Sickness and Old Age, edited by Steven King These letters, comprising mainly a period from 1810-37, have all been transcribed from original manuscripts held in the Berkshire Record Office, the Lancashire Record Office, the Manchester Record Office, the Northamptonshire Record Office and the Somerset Record Office. Since both the experiences of sickness and old age are intertwined, no effort has been made to achieve an artificial separation of the two themes. Bastardy, edited by Thomas Nutt The documents reproduced in this section are all drawn from records of the Chelmsford Division Court of Petty Sessions (1814-34) held in the Essex Record Office. The documents are loosely ordered by theme, chosen primarily to reflect the contemporary concerns of the court, but also to illustrate the historical continuity of issues that remain relevant to twenty-first century unmarried parenthood. The themes tackled can be summarised as 'Affiliation', 'Paternity', 'Payment', 'Punishment', 'Reputation', 'Social Relations', 'Marriage', 'Abortion', 'Cohabitation, Bigamy and Adulterine Bastardy', 'Malpractice' and 'Incest'. Men's Pauper Letters, edited by Alannah Tomkins These letters have all been transcribed from original manuscripts held in the Staffordshire and Shropshire County Archives and comprise selected portions of much larger parish collections. The letters cover a period from 1784 to 1837. Volume 2: Voices from the Street, edited by Deborah A Symonds Ballads, Broadside Ballads and Petitions: A selection of Ballads from David Herd's Manuscripts (1776), ' Daddy he stealt the Minister's Cow aka Lumps o' Puddings', 'The Jolly Beggar', 'As I came in by Fisherrow'; Edinburgh City Library Collection: five broadside ballads covering the classic themes the widow, the ruined lassie, the beggar, the evil of poverty and the drunkard's wife's lament; National Archives of Scotland: 'Petition by John Smith, weaver in Coatshade, ...for remission of fines on grounds of poverty' (1753); 'Letter, John Cruickshank, Tillydesk, regarding the clergy here are pinched with poverty ' (1785); 'Certificates of persons desirous of obtaining the benefit of the Poors' Roll ' (1691-1837); 'Forfeited Estates: MacKinnon. Declaration by tenants of their extreme poverty occasioned by an unusual murrain ' (1716); 'Forfeited Estates: Sleat. Declaration by tenants of their poverty occasioned by a murrain in 1716' (1721); 'Letter of Andrew Murison, WS (1771), regarding his brother William, a beggar and vagabond'; 'Estate Correspondence, letter regarding a poor widow with six children who wishes an acre formerly leased by her deceased husband ' (1794) Court Cases, National Archives of Scotland: Agnes Dugald , 'West Circuit, Justiciary Court, trial record' (1768); Janny Stewart, 'High Court of Justiciary, Small Papers, Declaration and Indictment' (1770); Elizabeth Wilkie, 'Lord Advocate's Records' (1812); Sermons, Kirk Session Records and Other Provision for the Poor: William Thom, Seasonable Advice to the Landholders and Farmers in Scotland (1770); John Erskine, The Education of Poor Children Recommended (1774); 'Tranent Kirk Session Minutes' (1776); Rev. Edwin S Towill (ed.), 'Extracts from Minutes of the Merchant Maiden Hospital' (1694 -) Volume 3: Institutional Responses: The London Foundling Hospital, edited by Alysa Levene 'An Account of the Hospital...in which is the Charter, Act of Parliament, By-laws and Regulations' (1749); 'An Account of the Hospital for the Maintenance and Education of Exposed and Deserted Young Children' (1749); 'An Essay upon Nursing and the Management of Children from their Birth to three Years of Age by a Physician. In a letter to one of the Governors of the Foundling Hospital. Published by Order of the General Committee for Transacting the Affairs of the said Hospital' (1748); Psalms, Hymns and Anthems, Sung in the Chapel of the Hospital; Instructions to Apprentices (1769-71); Notes Accompanying Children (1741-60); Petitions to have Children Admitted (1760-99) Volume 4: Institutional Responses: The Refuge for the Destitute, edited by Peter King A Short Account of the Institution Called the Refuge for the Destitute Cuper's Bridge (1806); A Short Account of the Institution Called the Refuge for the Destitute Hackney Road and Hoxton (1818); A Short Account of the Institution Called the Refuge for the Destitute (1831); 'An Account of the Refuge for the Destitute originally Established at Cuper's Bridge, Lambeth, but now Removed to Middlesex House, Hackney Road, Shoreditch', The Philanthropist (1811); The Refuge for the Destitute: The Male Narratives (1812-1830); The Female Narratives (1812-1830) Volume 5: Philanthropy and Fiction, 1698-1818, edited by Lisa Zunshine Stephen Nye, The Life of Mr Thomas Firmin, late citizen of London (1698) full text; Robert Nelson, An Address to Persons of Quality and Estate (1715) excerpts; Henry Nevil, The Beauty and Excellence of Charity (1721) full text; W Howard, The Good Stewards: or, The Rewards of Benevolence (1730) full text; Sarah Fielding, The History of the Countess of Dellwyn (1759) excerpts; Sarah Fielding, The History of Ophelia (1760) excerpts;Charles Peter Layard, Charity: A Poetical Essay (1773) full text; Charles Dibdin, 'Philanthropy' (1795) full text; James C Cross, The Charity Boy, A Favorite Ballad (1796) full text; Anna Maria Bennett, The Beggar Girl and Her Benefactors (1797) excerpts; Robert A Anderson, 'The Beggar Girl' (1798) full text; Anon, Eccentric Philanthropy (1803) excerpts; Mary Belson, The Orphan Boy and The Orphan Girl (1818) excerpts