parish was the largest single item in the expenditure of the Kirk Session and

fines made up a large part of its funds. Likewise, it was important to ascertain

the paternity of a child, so that the father could be made to assume a respon-

sibility for its support, thus relieving the charge on poor relief funds.

The money which the Kirk Session administered for the relief of the poor

came from several sources; collections made at the church door, contributions

by the heritors, occasional contributions from others, bequests specifically

for the benefit of the poor, and before 1840, fines imposed upon those who

broke the rules of the church. In addition to money, of various amounts, paid

to ‘paupers and to those not quite paupers’ goods ranging from boots, clothing,

coal, candles, tea, bread, rent-money, school-fees and medicines were given at

times.

In the winter the heritors increased their aid to the poor, especially the

amount of coal given. Some years when there were more than the usual

number of poor people needing help, the heritors and the Kirk Session met to

discuss how best to alleviate their condition, as in 1816 when ‘the high Price

of Necessaries and continued Stagnation of Trade’ required ‘a much more

Liberal Supply to the Pensioners than the money now in the hands of the Kirk

Session can afford’.

There were beggars who were given badges entitling them to beg within the

bounds of the parish, but if they begged outside the parish they could have

their badges taken away. In 1817 in order to prevent beggars constantly

accosting people, the heritors devised a plan for ‘two beggars to call upon the

Wealthy Citizens on Saturday provided with a Tin Box with an opening in the

lid. On the Sabbath they were to take the Tin to the Session where Mr. Toddie

had the key, and the Tin was to be opened and distributed on Monday at 10.00

o’clock’. These poor box collections were still going on in 1833 as it is

recorded in the minutes ‘One Janet Pringle on account of Infirmities of Old

age being unable to go round with the box to families on Saturday to receive

their Weekly Allowance to the poor, the Session resolved to employ Widow

Cochran in the meantime to that duty’.

A Parochial Board was set up in St. Andrews in 1845 following the intro-

duction of a new Poor Law Act, and the responsibilityfor the poor was trans-

ferred from the Kirk Session to this new Board. The Kirk Session minutes of

1848 state ‘Since Martinmas (11 November) 1845 the new poor law has been

in operation here and of course the Chuch Collections have fallen off very

considerably since then’.

Earlier, in 1843, the Session had complained about the number of people

‘who repair to St. Andrews for a few years for the Education of their children

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