Workhouse test

For the Act of Parliament concerning the workhouse test, see Workhouse Test Act 1723.

The workhouse test was a condition of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834. It stated that anyone who wanted to get poor relief must enter a workhouse. The condition was never implemented in Britain and outdoor relief continued to be given.^[1] The intended purpose was to make the workhouses as undesirable as possible so that people would look for work elsewhere before attempting to receive indoor relief.^[2] The "test" itself was, in essence, were the people who wanted relief desperate enough to enter the workhouse, despite the conditions.