12. Consequences of the PLAA Flashcards
Why did guardians often choose the cheaper option for poor relief?
Guardians wanted to keep the cost low for their parish.
How much did workhouses cost per person each week in 1862 compared to outdoor relief?
Workhouses cost 4s 8d per person each week, whereas outdoor relief cost 2s 3d.
According to historian George Boyer, how did the cost of indoor poor relief compare to outdoor relief?
Indoor poor relief cost 50-100% more than outdoor relief.
What was a significant financial barrier to the opening of more workhouses?
The high cost of construction limited how many workhouses opened. For example, a workhouse for 300 paupers in Banbury cost £6200.
By 1840, how many English parishes were incorporated into Poor Law Unions, and what was their total population?
By 1840, 14,000 English parishes with a total population of 12 million had been incorporated into Poor Law Unions.
How many parishes and people remained outside the Poor Law Unions system by 1840?
Only 800 parishes containing 2 million people remained outside the system.
What allowed for the use of outdoor relief in Yorkshire and Lancashire by 1838?
Opposition from guardians in Yorkshire and Lancashire because of the high cost allowed the use of outdoor relief should the need arise.
Why was indoor relief less widespread in northern counties compared to southern counties?
In northern counties, indoor relief did not fit the model of cyclical unemployment, so it was less widespread. In southern counties, despite opposition, indoor relief was widely implemented.
What principle were workhouses under the new poor law designed to follow to discourage applicants?
The principle of less eligibility.
What happened to individuals who refused to live in a workhouse?
They had ‘failed the workhouse test’.
How many people died in workhouses between 1846 and 1851, and how many of these deaths were related to lack of food?
Approximately 250,000 people died in workhouses, with 200,000 of these deaths related to lack of food.
What percentage of those admitted to workhouses after 1834 died in the system?
10% of those admitted after 1834 died in the system.
What were some of the harsh conditions faced by paupers in the Andover Workhouse?
Unmarried mothers had to wear a yellow stripe, children’s milk was watered down, sexual assault by the owner McDougal was common, and children were flogged for bed-wetting.
What was the role of John Walter, the editor of The Times, regarding scandals like Andover in 1845?
John Walter covered the story in great detail, attracting widespread attention to the scandal.
What extreme measures did children and inmates resort to due to hunger in the Andover Workhouse?
Children scavenged raw potato scraps thrown out for pigs, and inmates ate raw flesh from animal bones while working in the bone-crushing house.
