The Vagrancy Act 1824 is a UK Act of Parliament that made it an offence to sleep on the streets or beg in England and Wales. In 1837, Poor Law commissioners introduced a new regulation, by which people who were travelling the country looking for work and were experiencing homelessness and poverty could be provided with food and shelter in exchange for work tasks. This accommodation was available in workhouses and was known as the ‘vagrants cells', 'vagrants ward' or 'vagrants block' etc., being seperate from that provided for the local population. In 2022 the act was repealed.
This is part of the Sub-Series: RCH01/002/041 Rchme Architectural Requests: East Sussex; within the Series: RCH01/002 Royal Commission On The Historical Monuments Of England: Architectural Requests; within the Collection: RCH01 Royal Commission On The Historical Monuments Of England (Rchme) Archive
Contact Historic England Archive
Photographer: Parkinson, John: Royal Commission On The Historical Monuments Of England
Workhouse, Lodgings
