Legal Definitions - status of irremovability

The status of irremovability was a historical legal concept in England, primarily associated with the Poor Laws. It referred to a legal protection granted to individuals experiencing poverty, known as paupers, which prevented them from being forcibly removed from a particular local administrative area, called a parish. Once a pauper had resided in a parish for a continuous period of one year, they gained this status, meaning the parish authorities could no longer send them back to their original parish of settlement or any other location.

Here are a few examples to illustrate this concept:

• Imagine a family, the Millers, who moved to the parish of St. Giles in search of work. They found employment and lived there for eighteen months. Unfortunately, the father then lost his job, and the family became dependent on parish relief. The authorities in St. Giles, hoping to reduce their financial burden, attempted to send the Millers back to their previous parish. However, because the Millers had resided in St. Giles for more than one year, they had acquired the status of irremovability and could legally insist on remaining in St. Giles and receiving support there.

• Consider a young, single man named Thomas who traveled to a bustling manufacturing town, settling in the parish of Newbridge, hoping to find factory work. He secured a position and lived in Newbridge for fifteen months before the factory closed, leaving him unemployed and destitute. When the Newbridge parish officials sought to remove him to his birth parish, Thomas could invoke his status of irremovability. Having lived in Newbridge for over a year, he had a legal right to remain in that parish and receive any available poor relief, preventing the authorities from forcibly relocating him.

• An elderly widow, Mrs. Davies, moved to the parish of Littlebrook to live closer to her only surviving relative. After thirteen months, her relative passed away, leaving Mrs. Davies without local support and in need of assistance from the parish. Despite Littlebrook's preference to send her to a parish where she might have had a longer-standing connection, Mrs. Davies had gained the status of irremovability. Her continuous residence for over a year meant the Littlebrook authorities were legally obligated to allow her to remain and provide her with the necessary poor relief.