... poor pregnant mother to leave their parishes. The 1722 workhouse said that all parishes must a workhouse but in reality, most did not as they were too expensive to build. While the 1782, Gilberts act allowed parishes to group together in order to build a workhouse for the poor. In late 18th century, problems began to emerge, in rural areas high prices, high unemployment, low wages and less common land for grazing led to more poverty. Parishes decided to bring in new system, which might benefit the poor e.g., speenhamland system. This was an allowance devised by magistrates at speenhamland in Berkshire, this worked like this, if people were poor and bread's price was high, wages were topped up according to the number of family members so if the family was big their income would be high. Another system was the labour rate; here farmer could choose to pay a ...

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