Poor law union
A poor law union was a geographical territory, and early local government unit, in Great Britain and Ireland.From 1834 the parishes were grouped into unions, jointly responsible for the administration of poor relief in their areas and each governed by a board of guardians.[3] Historian Mark Blaug has argued that the Poor Law system provided "a welfare state in miniature, relieving the elderly, widows, children, the sick, the disabled, and the unemployed and underemployed".[4] The functions of poor law unions were exercised by boards of guardians, partly elected by ratepayers, but also including magistrates.Some parishes, many in the metropolitan area of London, were able to avoid amalgamation into unions because of earlier local acts that regulated their poor law administration.