Hospitals for the Poor Act 1597

The Hospitals for the Poor Act 1597 (39 Eliz. 1. c. 5) was an Act of the Parliament of England. It was enacted during the reign of Elizabeth I and remained in force until the 20th century.

The Disabled Soldiers Act 1592 had permitted the bequest of lands and buildings to establish "houses of correction or abiding-houses" for the poor or for maimed soldiers, but as it had not been legally possible to establish a hospital without a specific royal grant, that Act had had limited effect. As such, the 1597 Act was enacted, allowing any person wishing to establish a foundation to create it by deed at the High Court of Chancery; such foundations would be permanent. However, a minimum endowment was required, sufficient to produce an income of £10 per annum. This Act was initially to apply for twenty years. But it was later revived and made perpetual by the Hospitals Act 1623 (21 Jas. 1. c. 1), and then remained in force until the whole Act was repealed by the Charities Act 1960 (section 39(1) and Schedule 5).