Jeremy Paxman discovers who he is

Jeremy Paxman discovers who he is

11 January 2006

Widowed, ten mouths to feed, and facing the workhouse. Is this where you came from?

The reality for most people in the United Kingdom is that they are more likely to be descended from paupers than from gentry, as Jeremy Paxman discovers this week in Who Do You Think You Are?

While the most common way of exploring one´s family history is using birth, death, marriage certificates and census records, Poor Records may also provide a unique insight into the lives of ancestors in the mid- to late 19th century.

Dr Paul Carter, a records specialist at The National Archives, said: "With the formation of the Poor Law Commission in 1834, the central government agency took control of Poor Law administration and with it came the workhouse explosion."

More than 16,000 volumes of correspondence between the parish-run Poor Law Unions - which controlled the workhouses - and the central Poor Law Commission, are held at The National Archives in Kew.

"Once family historians have visited their local record office to confirm that their ancestors are present in workhouse or poor records, there is a wealth of information on individual cases to be found at The National Archives," Dr Carter said.

These files contain tens of thousands of letters referring to contentious issues surrounding individual cases of paupers and poor relief.

Up to 75% of the letters from local Poor Law Unions, also record some form of reply from the central government agency, giving a decision on the particular case.  

The Workhouse revolution was designed to put people off from applying for help. Workhouses were set up by unions of six or so parishes, under the New Poor Law of 1834. The Poor Law Unions continued until 1930, but records after 1900 were destroyed by enemy bombing during World War Two.

Find out more about the celebritites taking part in Who Do You Think You Are?