This law created a board of guardians for every parish as a way to get relief for the poor. However, poor people could only claim relief from the parish where they were born. We can see this in Mary Barton when the Davenports worry that the father won't get medical care because he has moved away from his home parish. While the intent behind the law was good, it effectively crippled people from getting their relief if they had moved away from home. Unrest continued between the classes, fueled by famine.

Gaskell, Elizabeth Mary Barton edited Jennifer Foster. 1848, Broadview Literary Texts