116.
and how much they paid their Medical Officers (40). The Guardians
were facing criticism from Mr. Nix who had been a Medical Officer to
the Union since its formation. In 1840 he was continually complaining
of underpayment, but was finally satisfied in 1841 with a salary of
£50 a year for attending the workhouse, plus 12/— for each attendance
on the outdoor poor and 14/— for each midwifery case (41).
As time progressed, so Boards of Guardians‘ functions were
extended and their financial affairs became more complicated, In
1847 Bridge Union became responsible for collecting those county rates
which were due from within its boundaries and had also to pay the
county clerk of the peace whatever sums were owing for judicial
administration throughout its area (42). In 1847 a cheque for
£168. Os. 10d. was paid over to Mr. Mercer, the County Treasurer,
as the amount of county rate due from the parishes within the Union.
Bridge's share of this was £9. 19s. 7d., but Chartham had most to
pay at £19. 5s. lld. (45).
The Guardians had many demands on their purse other than normal
poor relief payments. Occasionally they authorised grants to families
to enable them to emigrate, as on 27 February 1840, when "the sanction
of the Board was givento the Parish Officers of Upper Hardres to
advance the sum of £5 to Thomas Hobb's wife and child of that parish
for the purpose of their emigrating to Australia" (44). Later in
that year on llth September the sum of £14. lls. Ed. was granted to
Thomas Fairways and his family of Chartham for their emigration to
New Zealand (45).
Payments were sometimes made to other Unions for having
incurred expenditure on a Bridge Union pauper. Whenever such
requests were received the Bridge Guardians usually paid promptly,
as on l December 1856 "to the Faversham Union for the upkeep, for
twenty-six weeks, of a child belonging to the Parish of Barham" (46).
Extensions of functions in other directions can also be seen
in the Guardians‘ minutes. From 1856 onwards they were responsible
for the registration of births, marriages and deaths. They
apprenticed.boys to employers outside the area, so that a Canterbury
sweep, for instance, was allowed to have apprentice boys in 1840 (47).
On 11 September 1840 they agreed to vaccinate all the children who
required vaccination within the Bridge Union (48).
There was a wide range to the matters discussed and decisions
taken by the Bridge Board of Guardians. This overall conclusion
can be supported from their minute books during the 1840's. On
5 March 1840 the Clerk to the Board of Guardians was requested to
write to the Poor Law Commissionerstofind out the correct procedure
"towards Pregnant Unmarried Women requesting to lye—in in the Workhouse"
and also whether such women who appeared on a second occasion should be
punished (49). At the same time it was also decided that all bastards,
over seven years of age, who applied for relief, would be ordered into
the Workhouse.
The Union Chaplain reported to the Board of Guardians on l4 March
1842 that the internal discipline of inmates was generally satisfactory,
and that there had been particular progress in the education of the
Workhouse children (50). On 29 April 1847 the Guardians considered
moving a lunatic from Upper Hardres to the County Asylum at Barming
Heath, near Maidstone (51).
9