Pauper Policies

'Pauper policies presents exciting new research on the English Poor Laws before and after the Amendment Act of 1834. This original study of an institution that lay at the heart of life for many centuries is empirically rich and analytically engaging. Shave's book provides a superb example of how painstaking archival work opens the possibility of deeper understanding of a wide range of cognate areas of social and political life. Beautifully written and clearly argued, this is an excellent addition to the scholarship.' Professor Emma Griffin, University of East Anglia 'The book is an excellent addition to the historiography. It is well written and researched and contains important new findings on several key topics that have largely been ignored by historians.' Dr Joseph Harley , Reviews in History 'Samantha Shave has written one of the most original books on the English Poor Law in years: she has taken topics we thought we knew well, such as Gilbert's Act, and given them new and insightful treatment.' Professor Alannah Tomkins, Keele University, Rural History, (2018) 'What emerges from this exceptionally rich and detailed research is a thorough and grounded understanding of how poor law administration developed across large swathes of southern England stretching from Sussex in the east through to Somerset in the west. It is a very significant and highly original contribution to an already considerable body of work on the English poor law.' Professor David Green, King's College London -- .