SOCIAL CONDITIONS
POOR RELIEF
In medieval times the functions of poor relief, health services and hospitals were carried out by the hospitals or hospices maintained by monks where the poor, the sick and travellers found accommodation. The Scottish Parliament and Privy Council made frequent pronouncements on the problems of beggars and lepers.The unemployed poor often lived in the burghs where they threatened to become both a burden on poor relief funds and a potential source of disorder. The rapid growth of population in the late 18th and early 19th century created the problem of overcrowding in both urban and rural environments. As a consequence of this, especially in urban areas there was an increase in health problems. The Victorian period saw an improvement in health with the creation of institutions such as charity hospitals and infirmaries attached to poorhouses.
