On This Day 1774

This is an insight into the plight of destitute foreigners in Norwich during the 18th century:

On this day, St Andrew’s feast day, the Scots Society of Norwich came into being.  An assembly of exiled Scots had been celebrating the festival of their patron saint and at the end of the festivities they discovered a surplus of 13s and 6d.  One of the company suggested it be kept as a distress fund for any poor Scotsman that might come to Norwich in distress and need the whole or part of it.  At this time any foreigner becoming destitute was in a sorry plight.  The Poor Law bodies found it difficult to support their own poor and rarely provided assistance for outsiders. Anyway it appears that no destitute Scots found their way to Norwich as the fund was not drawn upon.  In 1776 the Scots Society was officially formed, the Earl of Rosebery was governor and Bartlett Gurney were the society’s bankers.  In 1784, it was decided funds should be used to help strangers in general, not just Scots,. and it was renamed the Society of Universal Goodwill.