The workhouse test was a condition of the

Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 The ''Poor Law Amendment Act 1834'' (PLAA) known widely as the New Poor Law, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed by the Whig government of Earl Grey. It completely replaced earlier legislation based on the ''Poor Relie ...

. It stated that anyone who wanted to get poor relief must enter a

workhouse In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse'' ...

. The condition was never implemented in Britain and

outdoor relief Outdoor relief, an obsolete term originating with the Elizabethan Poor Law (1601), was a program of social welfare and poor relief. Assistance was given in the form of money, food, clothing or goods to alleviate poverty without the requirement t ...

continued to be given. The intended purpose was to make the workhouses as undesirable as possible so that people would look for work elsewhere before attempting to receive

indoor relief In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse'' ...

. The "test" itself was, in essence, were the people who wanted relief desperate enough to enter the workhouse, despite the conditions.

References

Poor Law in Britain and Ireland {{England-law-stub