GUARDIANS OF ENGLAND’S POOR, FROM PARISH TO WORKHOUSE
WHEN: Saturday, January 17, 2026
10 AM to Noon (Central Time, USA & Canada)
WHERE: Virtually via ZOOM only
To participate in the meeting via ZOOM, please use the following Link https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/rsKDz5xfTQSTtzkDdpiV7w
Please note, REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.
The British Interest Group of Wisconsin and Illinois (BIGWILL) invites you to our January meeting with speaker, Angela Snedaker.
Angela Snedaker’s presentation topic – “Guardians of England’s Poor, from Parish to Workhouse”
In England there is a difference between the Old Poor Law, administered by church parishes, and the New Poor Law, established in 1834, which took the power from the parish and gave it to the board of guardians. Poor law unions and workhouses became the norm for those who could not afford to care for themselves or their children. A variety of records were created – this presentation will demonstrate how to find the records that exist for these unions. Angela will also explain how pauperism and “indoor” versus “outdoor” relief led to the decline and dismantling of the workhouse.
A professional genealogist researching since 2014, Angela Snedaker has a degree in Family History Research from BYU-Idaho, specializing in British Isles research. Her driving passion is education – she teaches research classes at the Ogden FamilySearch Center in addition to tutoring and client research. She also contracts as a British Isles research specialist for Ancestor Seekers, and is a family history consultant for her church. She enjoys organizing genealogy events for her local community. In addition to the British Isles, Angela has experience with records and research in various countries and U.S. states. The greatest joy of Angela’s life is her family – while her children have yet to catch the genealogy bug, she is confident that eventually it will bite them.
Visitors are always welcome to attend our BIGWILL presentations, free of charge.
To participate in the meeting via ZOOM, please use the following Link
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/rsKDz5xfTQSTtzkDdpiV7w
Please note, REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.
The British Interest Group of Wisconsin & Illinois (BIGWILL) is a special interest group for those who wish to research family history and ancestry in the British Isles. We meet at 10:00 am (Central time) on the third Saturday of January, March, May, July, September and November. January and March meetings are online only, virtually via ZOOM.
