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Beginning with a brief discussion of the 1834 Poor Law and its reception in England and Wales, Dr Rose then examines the extent of poverty in the nineteenth century and criticises some of the available statistical data. He goes on to discuss the investigations of poverty and the changes in attitude which these helped to bring about. In the final section the treatment of poverty is examined, showing the way in which the existing Poor Law and charitable agencies were criticised for their treatment of various categories of poverty (for example, the sick, the able-bodied and children) and the extent to which they were replaced by other, more suitable, institutions. The study concludes with a full critical bibliography of writings on poverty and the Poor Law in the nineteenth century. This new edition has been revised and updated to take account of the literature published since 1972.