Nuclear Hardship or Variant Dependency? Households and the Scottish Poor Law

The 'nuclear hardship' hypothesis claims that where nuclear families predominated collective aid prevailed, whereas extended households were coextensive with kin-based support. This article tests this assumption by considering the relationship between households and the Poor Law in Lowland Scots communities after 1845. While cross-sectional census data are inconclusive, a longitudinal analysis based on case study evidence, including temporary as well as permanent relief patterns, suggests that 'nuclear hardship' might be replaced by a model that matches household structure with the varying sources of aid given during critical life situations while focusing upon applicants as negotiators rather than victims.