About the book

“The book is produced to UH Press's usual high standards and is highly recommended for two reasons. Firstly, the various case-studies are object lessons for how anyone working on the Poor Law in Cambridgeshire should eventually present their findings; and secondly, Professor King's Introduction is an immensely valuable summary of current work on both the Poor Law and charitable provision. He suggests (and the Hertfordshire evidence would seem to support this) that the 'moral economy' of rural England meant there was a recognition on all sides (officials, paupers and the community at large) that the 'deserving poor' (the elderly, the mentally and physically ill and children) should be cared for but that much more research is needed on the spatial and temporal variations that might occur even within a single small county. Over to you, readers!” Tony Kirby, CALH Review

This comparative study gathers together new research by local historians into aspects of welfare in Hertfordshire spanning four centuries and focusing on towns and villages across the county, including Ashwell, Cheshunt, Hertford, Pirton and Royston amongst many others.

In so doing it makes a valuable contribution to the current debate about the spatial and chronological variation in the character of welfare regimes within single counties, let alone more widely.