Poor Relief and the Church in Scotland, 1560-1650 / / John McCallum.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Edinburgh University Press Complete eBook-Package 2018
• VerfasserIn: McCallum, John,
• Place / Publishing House: Edinburgh : : Edinburgh University Press, , [2022]; ©2018
• Year of Publication: 2022
• Language: English
• Series: Scottish Religious Cultures : SRC
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (288 p.)

An exploration of poverty and charity in early modern ScotlandThis book sets out the importance of charity in Scottish Reformation studies. Based on extensive archival research involving more than thirty parishes, it sheds new light on the practice of poor relief in the century following the Reformation.John McCallum challenges the assumption that charitable activity was weak and informal in Scotland by uncovering the surviving records of welfare work carried out by the church. And he skilfully demonstrates that kirk sessions were key welfare providers in early modern Scotland and provided effective relief to a range of people who struggled in poverty. In addition to the analysis of specific parish activities, readers gain a rare insight into the lives of the poor Scots who looked to the church for assistance in the early modern era.Key FeaturesChallenges conventional interpretations which stress secularisation in the development of welfareThe first analysis of the practice of poor relief and experiences of poverty in pre-modern ScotlandBased on extensive archival research involving over thirty Scottish parishesProvides a new interpretation of the nature and effectiveness of pre-modern welfare provisionExtends Scottish Reformation studies into new territory by considering charity for the first time

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Tables -- Acknowledgements -- Conventions -- Abbreviations -- Map of Key Locations Mentioned -- Introduction -- 1 Ideas, Attitudes and Ambitions -- Part I The Development of Kirk Session Poor Relief -- 2 Urban Beginnings and Developments, c. 1560–c. 1610 -- 3 Poor Relief Beyond the Main Burghs, c. 1590–c. 1650 -- 4 Poor Relief Under Stress -- Part II The Nature of Kirk Session Poor Relief -- 5 The Mechanics of Relief -- 6 Who Were the Poor? The Recipients of Relief -- 7 Who Was Deserving? Decision-making and Discrimination -- 8 Beyond the Kirk Session: Mixed Economies of Relief -- Conclusion -- Appendix: Equivalent Values from Wages and Prices -- Bibliography -- Index