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Seven Lords' Land Roundhouse
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Poor on the Moor Talks

Home » Local History » Poor on the Moor Talks



Poor on the Moor is a series of talks about the poor of Widecombe and how they were looked after in the period 1700-1900.

The talks are based on the book Welfare in Widecombe 1700-1900More details

Each video has the option to enter full screen mode and also watch on YouTube. Of course, you can also fast-forward and pause at will! Timestamps have been provided in the description so that you can go straight to particular sections of the talk if you so wish.

You can either watch individual talks or select the playlist and watch or listen to them all in sequence. We have feedback that suggests, if nothing else, that the talks make acceptable background listening!

We welcome your feedback on any aspect of these talks. If you would like clarification, if you have a question, if you have comments good or bad, we would like to hear from you.

We are especially interested to hear from other parishes (rural and urban) about how their own poor provision compared with the situation in Widecombe. We would like to be able to publish some comparisons on this page.

You can send an email by using the link below:

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Further Information

We will add further information to this page as it comes to light, so please keep checking back here from time to time, even after you have watched all the videos!!

Full PlayList

You can view the complete playlist in sequence on YouTube by clicking below

Individual Talk List

Poor on the Moor Segment 1: Background

This segment provides some background to the talks, e.g. by attempting to define ‘welfare’ and ‘the poor’.

Poor on the Moor Segment 2: The Digitising Project

This segment discusses the Digitising Project.

Poor on the Moor Segment 3: Raising the Money

This segment discusses the raising of the Church Rate and the Poor Rate.

Poor on the Moor Segment 4: Spending on the Church

This segment discusses how the money was spent on the church with examples from the Churchwardens’ Accounts.

Poor on the Moor Segment 5: Spending on Poor Relief

This segment discusses how the money was spent on the poor with examples from the Overseers’ Accounts.

Poor on the Moor Segment 6: Apprenticeships

This segment discusses the apprenticeship system, with examples of indentures of bound-out children.

Poor on the Moor Segment 7: Removal Orders

This segment discusses removal orders and the settlement system whereby everyone had a legal parish of settlement.

Poor on the Moor Segment 8A: Other Provisions (Part 1)

This segment discusses other provisions that were made. This is the first part of that segment. It includes consideration of the Highways Accounts, medical help and the Widow’s Gift.

Poor on the Moor Segment 8B: Other Provisions (Part 2)

This segment discusses other provisions that were made. This is the second part of that segment. It includes the Rugglestone Friendly Society, education provision and burials.

Poor on the Moor Segment 9: The Newton Abbot Union

This segment discusses the formation of the Newton Abbot Union and aspects of its subsequent history.

Poor on the Moor Segment 10: Accessing the Archive

This segment introduces you to the Widecombe Digital Archive and how to access and use it.

Poor on the Moor Segment 11: Conclusions

This segment draws some conclusions from the information provided in the talks.