The Poor Law Board was established in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

in 1847 as a successor body to the

Poor Law Commission The Poor Law Commission was a body established to administer poor relief after the passing of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834. The commission was made up of three commissioners who became known as "The Bashaws of Somerset House", their secretary a ...

overseeing the administration 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 ...

. The new body was headed by a President, and with the

Lord President of the Council The lord president of the Council is the presiding officer of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom and the fourth of the Great Officers of State, ranking below the Lord High Treasurer but above the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal. The Lord ...

, the

Lord Privy Seal The Lord Privy Seal (or, more formally, the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal) is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. Originally, ...

, the

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all nationa ...

and the

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Ch ...

now added to the board as ''ex officio'' members. The board was abolished in 1871 and replaced by the

Local Government Board The Local Government Board (LGB) was a British Government supervisory body overseeing local administration in England and Wales from 1871 to 1919. The LGB was created by the Local Government Board Act 1871 (C. 70) and took over the public health a ...

Presidents of the Poor Law Board, 1847-1871

Charles Buller Charles Buller (6 August 1806 – 29 November 1848) was a British barrister, politician and reformer. Background and education Born in Calcutta, British India, Buller was the son of Charles Buller (1774–1848), a member of a well-known Cor ...

1847-1849 *

Matthew Talbot Baines Matthew Talbot Baines (17 February 1799 – 22 January 1860) was a British lawyer and Liberal politician. He most notably served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in Lord Palmerston's 1855 to 1858 administration. Background and educ ...

1849-1852 * Sir John Trollope, Bt 1852 *

1852-1855 * Edward Pleydell Bouverie 1855-1858 * Thomas Sotheron-Estcourt 1858-1859 * Charles Gordon-Lennox, ''styled'' Earl of March 1859 *

Charles Pelham Villiers Charles Pelham Villiers (3 January 1802 – 16 January 1898) was a British lawyer and politician from the aristocratic Villiers family. He sat in the House of Commons for 63 years, from 1835 to 1898, making him the longest-serving Member of Parl ...

1859-1866 *

Gathorne Hardy Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 1st Earl of Cranbrook, (born Gathorne Hardy; 1 October 1814 – 30 October 1906) was a prominent British statesman, Conservative politician and key ally of Benjamin Disraeli. He held cabinet office in every Conservati ...

1866-1867 *

William Courtenay, 11th Earl of Devon William Reginald Courtenay, 11th Earl of Devon PC (14 April 1807 – 18 November 1888), styled Lord Courtenay between 1835 and 1859, was a British politician who served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from 1866 to 1867 and as Presid ...

1867-1868 * George Goschen 1868-1871 *

James Stansfeld Sir James Stansfeld, (; 5 March 182017 February 1898) was a British Radical and Liberal politician and social reformer who served as Under-Secretary of State for India (1866), Financial Secretary to the Treasury (1869–71) and President ...

1871

Parliamentary Secretaries to the Poor Law Board, 1847-1871

Viscount Ebrington A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...

1847-1851 * Ralph William Grey 1851-1852 * Frederick Knight 1852 *

Grenville Berkeley Grenville Charles Lennox Berkeley (alternatively Charles Lennox Grenville Berkeley) (30 March 1806 – 25 September 1896), also known as C. L. Grenville Berkeley, was a British Liberal Party politician. He served as Parliamentary Secretary to the ...

1853-1856 * Ralph Grey 1856-1858 * Frederick Knight 1858-1859 * Charles Gilpin 1859-1865 * Viscount Enfield 1865-1866 *

Ralph Anstruther Earle Ralph Anstruther Earle (1835 – 10 June 1879) was a British Conservative Party politician. Early career He came from a well-known Liverpool family with a Whig background, and was educated at Harrow, before joining the British Foreign Service ...

1866-1867 * George Sclater-Booth 1867-1868 * Sir Michael Hicks Beach, Bt 1868 * Arthur Peel 1868-1871

Bibliography

''Una and Her Paupers''

Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War ...

& Anon, Diggory Press

Presidents of the Poor Law Board, 1847-1871

Parliamentary Secretaries to the Poor Law Board, 1847-1871

Bibliography

Further reading