ABSTRACT
Pressure for poor law reform had been building for years. Jeremy Bentham and his acolytes were developing strategies for radical change. The main purposes of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act were to produce a more rational, uniform and national system and, particularly, to save ratepayers money. Settlement related to the place which had responsibility for providing poor relief to an individual. The Rowntrees were enlightened employers, seeing their employees as virtual partners in the business. In 1895, a visit to the slums in Newcastle upon Tyne awakened Seebohm Rowntree's interest in researching the causes, and possible alleviation, of poverty. There was no shortage of individuals willing to help the poor. Churches established a large number of their own charities but the influence of Christian zeal was apparent everywhere. The aims of temperance movement were to reduce the consumption of alcohol and to encourage individuals to abandon alcohol.
