Parish Apprentices

Parish Apprentices, persons who were bound out by the overseers of parishes, or by the guardians of the poor. The children of poor persons could be apprenticed out by the overseers, with consent of two justices, and by the guardians without such consent, till twenty-one years of age, to such persons as were thought fitting; who were no longer, however, compellable to take them, Poor Law Amendment Act, 1844, s. 13. This was repealed by the Poor Law Act, 1927, now repealed. For the present law, see Poor Law Act, 1930 (19 & 20 Geo. 5, c. 17), ss. 59 to 66, also s. 69 (naval service for boys), and the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894 (57 & 58 Vict. c. 60), s. 393 (merchant service); and see Chitty's Statutes, tit. 'Poor (Apprentices).'