The Poor Law Act of 1845 established a Parochial Board in Barra answerable to a central Board of Supervision. The Barra Board was made up of representatives from the Kirk Session, local property owners and elected members. It assessed land and heritages to levy a poor rate on owners and occupiers. An Inspector of the Poor was appointed to manage poor relief. Criminally liable for the death of any pauper death if they had been refused relief, brought reasonable applications before the Board which then determined whether aliment (relief) was to be given and how much. If relief was refused, the applicant could appeal to the Sheriff; if the relief was considered inadequate, the applicant could appeal to the board of Supervision. Definition of the person entitled to relief was carried over from previous poor and vagrancy laws. Generally this was the non-able bodied (later relaxed to include able-bodied destitute) and children and those born in the parish or who had resided there for a certain number of years. Determining settlement (i.e. whether an individual was the responsibility of the parish or another parish) gave rise to detailed record keeping. The Act enabled the construction by parishes or combination of parishes of poorhouses. Pressure put on Barra and other local Boards by the Board of Supervision was resisted in the Islands until the building of the Long Island Combination Poorhouse in Lochmaddy, North Uist, in 1882-3 to which the poor of Barra were sent. The Board were also responsible for dealing with those with mental illness with Barra sending individuals to the Inverness District Asylum. “Harmless lunatics” were later sent to the Poorhouse in Lochmaddy from 1907. From 1886, the Public Health Act made the Boards of Supervision centrally, and the Boards locally, the sanitary authorities responsible for the control of infectious diseases, removal of nuisances, food safety, water supply and the provision of hospitals and public conveniences. A sanitary inspector and a medical officer could be appointed. The Local Government Act 1894 abolished the Board of Supervision and the Boards, transferring their functions to Local Government Board centrally, and to Parish Council locally. Barra Parish Council was a fully elected body. Its main functions were the Poor Law, registration of births, deaths and marriages, child protection, provision of burial grounds, registration of vaccinations, the mentally ill and handicapped. Most public health functions were transferred to South Uist & Barra District Committee. The Parish Council could also concern itself with footpaths, well, harbours and standard ff postal and telegraph services. The Local Government Act 1929 saw the Parish Council being disbanded in 1930, the bulk of its functions being transferred to Barra District Council and the Barra Public Assistance Committee which reported to Inverness-shire County Council.
Minutes 1872-1895; letter books 1867-1938; Applications for Parochial Relief 1876-1930; General Registers of the Poor 1866-1930; Children's Separate Registers of the Poor 1873-1929; Unadmitted Cases of the Poor 1875-1896; Inspector's day cash books 1902-1930; postponed vaccinations 1873-1941
Arranged into series. Within series, items are arranged chronologically.
Paper volumes
Internal transfer from Museum nan Eilean (Accn 2011-13)
GB3002 IN5/5 Records of Barra Public Assistance Committee 1930-1956 (held by Tasglann nan Eilean Siar, Stornoway) GB3002 IN5/9 Records of Long Island Combination Poorhouse, Lochmaddy, North Uist 1875-1942 (held by Tasglann nan Eilean Siar)
Records containing personal data are closed for 75 years from the last date in the volume for records relating to adults and 100 years for records relating to children. Please consult the archivist for further information.
Digital and paper item level list available in searchroom of Tasglann nan Eilean Siar
Arranged chronologically
Open
Open
Open
Arranged chronologically
As correspondence can discuss individual cases of poverty including details of adults and children, they are closed to public access for 100 years from the last date given in an individual volume. If you wish to consult these records, please consult the archivist.
Open
Closed 100 years; open 2039
Arranged chronologically
As applications for parochial relief discuss individual cases of poverty, including personal details of adults and children, they are closed to public access for 100 years from the last date given in an individual volume. If you wish to consult these records, please consult the archivist.
Closed for 100 years; open 2019
Closed for 100 years; open 2031
As General registers of the Poor discuss individual cases of poverty, including personal details of adults and children, they are closed to public access for 100 years from the last date given in an individual volume. If you wish to consult these records, please consult the archivist.
Open
Closed for 100 years; open 2031
As these volumes discuss details of individual children, they are closed to public access for 100 years from the last date given in an individual volume. If you wish to consult these records, please consult the archivist.
Closed for 100 year; open 2014
Closed for 100 years; open 2030
Open
Open
As these records contain personal data about individuals who may still be living, they are closed to public access for 100 years from the last date given in an individual volume. If you wish to consult these records, please consult the archivist.
Open
Open
Open
Closed for 100 years; open 2018
Closed for 100 years; open 2027
Closed for 100 years; open 2030
Closed 100 years; open 2031
As the payroll of the poor individual details of payments made to named adults and also the guardians of named children, they are closed to public access for 100 years from the last date given in an individual volume. If you wish to consult these records, please consult the archivist.
Closed for 100 years; open 2028
Closed for 100 years; open 2044
Closed 100 years; open 2031
Closed for 100 years from the last date in a given volume
Closed for 100 years; open 2042