Presentation By Dr Mary Rudling

‘My talk will focus on the impact of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act on the poor in Sussex. The legislation aimed to impose a harsher, more deterrent system of relief and I will compare the support provided before and after 1834. The talk considers the profile of the poor and also of the officials responsible for providing relief. I will discuss support both in and out of the workhouses and in particular the change in the care offered to children by the end of the nineteenth century.

I have been studying poor relief in Sussex for approximately twelve years; initially for an MA and more recently for a PhD which I completed in May 2022.’

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