London, England, Poor Law School District Registers, 1852-1918

This collection comprises registers for Poor Law school districts in London for the years 1852 to 1918. It contains details of students from District schools across London. After 1834, the Poor Law Commission required each union to set up a properly constituted residential school for pauper children with a salaried schoolmaster or schoolmistress. Pauper children were to receive both a basic education and industrial training to make them fit for employment. The 1844 Poor Law Amendment Act and 1848 District Schools Act gave the Poor Law Commissioners powers to combine parishes and unions into school districts which would establish a large residential school outside London for the care and education of all pauper children from the areas concerned. Seven Poor Law School Districts were formed in the metropolitan area.

These records are made up of lists of children who were admitted to and discharged from schools. When education was required, children could be discharged from their schooling if they were needed to work to help support the family. The records vary by school and some are more detailed than others. The records include (where available):

• Admission Date
• Discharge Date
• Name
• Gender
• School
• Address
• Birth date
• Age

Parts of this description have been taken from the London Metropolitan website. You can find out more about their collections on this page.