In 1843, a Royal Commission was appointed to inquire into the Poor Law in Scotland. This followed on from a similar Poor Law Commission in 1832 in England and Wales. The commission began taking evidence on 2 March 1843 and continued into 1844 when the report was published.  The commission covered the whole of Scotland, and painted what Levitt (1988) has called 'an appalling picture of how Scotland treated its poor'.

The Scottish Mining website has gathered fascinating extracts from the report.

Reference: Levitt, I. (1988) Government and Social Conditions in Scotland, 1845-1919, Edinburgh: Scottish History