Another 12 hours of writing and typing and chapter 2 is completed. This one looks at Christmas charity. It touches briefly on the Poor Law Amendment Act which basically attempted to change the way in which the poor were given help. Prior to 1834 they could receive help in their own homes but change meant the only way to get help was through the workhouse. It was meant to be a deterrent to the workshy but by mid century it was the old, sick, and vulnerable, unmarried mothers and children confined to these institutions. As a result people relied on charity, especially at Christmas where, if it wasn't for charity, there would be no Christmas. Newspapers such as the Monmouthshire Merlin describe the desolation many faced and records the acts of kindness towards the poor by local people.
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