Farm Labourers (Classic Reprint): Their Friendly Societies, and the Poor Law: Their Friendly Societies, and the Poor Law (Classic Reprint) - Softcover

Inhaltsangabe

How farm workers built support networks to cope with the Poor Law
This work surveys the role of friendly societies and the Poor Law in the lives of farm laborers. It argues for self-reliance and community-led insurance, while examining how relief systems shape daily life and families in rural England. The text considers improvements to cottages, education, wages, and housing, and explores the tension between public aid and private mutual aid.

This edition traces how laborers formed savings and sickness funds, burial clubs, and other benefits to reduce dependence on ratepayers. It also discusses the influence of clergy, landowners, and local leaders in shaping not only clubs, but attitudes toward relief and independence. Real-world examples show how communities organized, managed funds, and navigated the law to protect themselves and their neighbors.

- How friendly societies function for workers and their families, including sickness pay, burial funds, and savings.
- The relationship between the Poor Law and local mutual aid, and what reform might look like.
- Case studies and practical ideas from parish clubs and rural communities, including how governance and rules work.
- Considerations for improving reliability, supervision, and access to insurance for wage-earning classes.

Ideal for readers of social history, labor history, and discussions on welfare reform, this book speaks to the lived experience of rural workers and their search for independence within or beyond state relief.

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