Definition of a pauper?

ellenavon · Post by **ellenavon** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:02 pm

Can anyone help please.

Why would someone be noted as a pauper on death cert when they lived close to members of their family and death certs were signed by a son who lived on the next farm.

Were all paupers buried in pauper's graves, or did this sometimes just mean that they were elderly, retired and without independent income?

Would the Scottish definition be different from the English?

Thanks in anticipation.

Ellen.

Post by **AnneM** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 6:39 pm

Hi Ellen

As I understand it a pauper was someone who was in receipt of Poor Relief. If there was family living nearby there would have to be a good reason for the family being unable to support that person. I have an ancestor who appears on the 1851 census for Saltcoats as 'house owner and pauper'. I know the feeling!

I don't think it would necessarily mean the person would be buried in a pauper's grave.

If this is wrong I hope someone will correct me.

Anne

tishgibbons · Post by **tishgibbons** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 12:53 pm

Hi,

I too have ancestors listed as paupers in census returns and they were in recipt of Poor Relief too. I thought Pauper meant having no means of support i.e, not working and in the days before the welfare state. Strangely enough I cannot find records of their burials in the MIs from ANESFHS (although I have place and date of death) so maybe they too were buried in pauper's grave. That I think means it was just unmarked.

I too would be interested in any assistance on this one.

Regards,

Tish

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 2:09 pm

tishgibbons wrote:Hi,

I too have ancestors listed as paupers in census returns and they were in recipt of Poor Relief too. I thought Pauper meant having no means of support i.e, not working and in the days before the welfare state. Strangely enough I cannot find records of their burials in the MIs from ANESFHS (although I have place and date of death) so maybe they too were buried in pauper's grave. That I think means it was just unmarked.

I too would be interested in any assistance on this one.

Regards,

Tish

It would be unmarked in the sense that there wouldn't be a gravestone (tombstone) but not necessarily unrecorded in terms of lair records. If these are extant they will probably be with the local authority or a local archive. Can't recall if there's a thread here that might assist further (try a search on "lair"), or whether I'm recalling something from the ScotlandsPeople DG.............

Davie

ellenavon · Post by **ellenavon** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 6:26 pm

Many thanks everyone for your help.

Kind Regards

Ellen.