The Scottish Poor Law

LINDSAY, J., *The Scottish Poor Law - Its Operation in the North-east from 1745 to 1845*, Ilfracombe, A. H. Stockwell, 1975, 8vo, pp. 265. The Scottish poor law differed markedly from that in England and Wales during the century of the Industrial Revolution, but historians have paid less attention to it. Dr. Lindsay's book is therefore particularly welcome. The system was a voluntary one of outdoor poor-relief administered by the kirk sessions, but dependence on charity frequently led to hardship and disputed settlements and economic factors increased the sufferings of the destitute. Dr. Lindsay concentrated on Aberdeen and the counties around it to illustrate the way in which the system operated, and all her work is based on the extensive use of primary sources, which have yielded a great deal of new information. She describes how the system worked in practice in both urban and rural areas, and, along with other materials, uses first-hand accounts of life in poor-houses. The period reviewed ends in 1845 with the Scottish Poor Law Amendment Act. The only shortfalls with the book are the unattractive typography and the mean margins, however the book is an excellent, scholarly study and totally recommended to all who work in, or are researching, the areas of Scottish history relating to problems of poverty, and the social history of medicine.