Debts by Installment

02/03/1897

Information

At the Peterborough County Court sitting of this day, a number of orders were made that give us a glimpse of the time. Charles Jenks, a labourer from Water Newton, had debts totalling £21 4s that had accrued due to his loss of work caused by illness. He offered to meet his debts to 8s 6d in the pound at the rate of 3s per month. An order was made allowing this situation. Daniel Monk, a labourer from Eye, was in deeper trouble with debts of £40 10s 4d. He was offering 9s in the pound on the debts - an offer accepted by the court and requiring him to pay at a rate of 6s per month. If my sums are right, that's five years of payments. Among the undefended cases we find that Charles Tebbs, butcher of Midgate, was seeking payment of £26 15s 6d from one W. Chapman of Robin Hood Chase in Nottingham. The claim was upheld and Chapman was required to pay the debt at 10s a month. Tebbs has to wait over four years for settlement of the debt - if he's lucky. (Peterborough Citizen)

Taken from The Peterborough Book of Days by Brian Jones, The History Press, 2014.

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Lack of (National) Compassion

26/01/1861

Information

During a recent spell of very bad weather, the Guardians of the Peterborough Poor Law Union had granted temporary outdoor relief to some able-bodied agricultural labourers who had been unable to work through no fault of their own. as a result, the National Board had requested that they be furnished with a statement showing the number of persons relieved that were at variance to the General Prohibitory Order. They also requested particulars of the number of persons in each family and the amount of relief that had been afforded. At this Saturday's meeting of the Board of Governors of the Peterborough Poor Law Union, the clerk read a letter that had come from the National Poor Law Board. It stated that 'having regard to the accommodation afforded by the workhouse, and to the number of inmates therein, the Board thought it desirable that the Guardians should, in future, should offer to relieve the necessities of this class of person in the workhouse. They should apply that test of destitution so long as circumstances permitted with regards to each application.' In other words, 'rules is rules', and using common sense and compassion are not allowed. (Lincoln, Rutland and Stamford Mercury)

Taken from The Peterborough Book of Days by Brian Jones, The History Press, 2014.