3.3 Old Poor Law

Question 1

Who was responsible for looking after the poor until 1834

Answer 1

Philanthropist
Parish
Overseers

Question 2

What was the poor rate

Answer 2

A compulsory tax to provide relief for the poor

Question 3

Who appointed the parish members responsible for relief

Answer 3

Justices of the peace

Question 4

Who would be an overseer of the poor

Answer 4

Lord of the manor
Churchwardens
Farmers

Question 5

What did the settlement act of 1662 say

Answer 5

The parish responsible for the pauper was the one you were either born, married, served an apprenticeship or inherited property

Question 6

A strength of of the old poor law

People were given …

Answer 6

A chance to work

Question 7

Give a weakness of the old poor law

Funded …

Answer 7

By tax this could cause resentment from the tax payers

Question 8

Who is someone who would be considered deserving poor

Answer 8

Poor thought no fault of their own

Eg sick or children

Question 9

Who would be considered undeserving poor

Answer 9

Those whose poverty was the result of some sort of perceived moral failure such as drunk ness or prostitution

Question 10

When was the old poor law replaced

Answer 10

1834

Question 11

Impotent poor

Answer 11

Paupers who could not look after themselves even when times were good eg disabled

Question 12

Idle poor

Answer 12

Those who refused to work and continued a life of begging or crime

Question 13

Able-bodied poor

Answer 13

Paupers who wanted relief but were able to work

Question 14

A strength of the old poor law

The overseers were being …

Answer 14

Replaced yearly so if someone wasn’t doing a good job then the poor had a chance of getting someone who could look after them better

Question 15

A strength of the old poor law

They can distinguish …

Answer 15

Genuine need

Question 16

A strength of the old poor law

People trusted …

Answer 16

The parish

Question 17

A weakness of the old poor law …

unprofessional looked …

Answer 17

After them so they wouldn’t have much knowledge on how to care for the paupers

Question 18

A weakness of the old poor law …

Local …

Answer 18

Crisis - bad harvest the whole parish would suffer

Question 19

A weakness of the old poor law …

settlement Act is …

Answer 19

Confusing as it’s unclear where paupers should go

Question 20

A weakness of the old poor law …

it’s up to the parish to decide….

Answer 20

Who gets relief and how much they get

Question 21

Indoor relief is help for the poor…

Answer 21

Provided inside with in a house / institution

eg workhouses

Question 22

2 administrative changes William sturges-bourne made

Answer 22

Set up a new voting system - upper class had more say on how the poor rate was spent 
Added a clergymen - who decided who was deserving and undeserving poor

Question 23

3 administrative changes Thomas Gilbert made

Answer 23

Able bodied poor were excluded from workhouses
Overseers were replaced by guardians
Guardians had to submit annual records to show poor relief expenditure (Gilbert records)

Question 24

Outdoor relief is help for the poor …

Answer 24

Provided by people outside of institutions (within the community) eg giving money, subsiding wages , food etc.

Question 25

What are the 3 systems of outdoor relief

Answer 25

Speenlham system Roundsman system Labour rate

Question 26

What was the speenlham system

Answer 26

It was an allowance system, it subsidised low wages | Eg by giving food depending on the number of people in the family

Question 27

Strength of the speenlham system

Answer 27

It was all over the south and east of Britain | It provided full employment in the north

Question 28

Weakness of the speenlham system

Answer 28

It never got legal backing so it was abandoned by 1815

Question 29

What is the roundsman system

Answer 29

It was a system that employed able bodied paupers | For the work they did they would receive wages

Question 30

Successes of the roundsman system

Answer 30

The work they had done helped them get relief as they were paid wages It employed able bodied - helped them find work

Question 31

Weakness of the roundsman stystem

Answer 31

The farmers were corrupt and started exploiting the paupers

Question 32

What was the labour rate

Answer 32

It employed able bodied paupers and got rid of corruption in the roundsman system

Question 33

Strength of the labour rate

Answer 33

Stopped farmers being corrupt

Question 34

Weaknesses of the labour rate

Answer 34

Only 20% of parishes used it

Question 35

Reasoned the old poor law was opposed

Answer 35

Cost The population was increasing The quality of indoor relief was deteriorating Not applied consistently across the country

Question 36

When was the swing riots

Answer 36

In 1830

Question 37

Why was there swing riots

Answer 37

Workers were losing their jobs to machines

Question 38

Consequences of the swing riots

Answer 38

400 transported to Australia 644 imprisoned 19 put to death

Question 39

The ending of the wars with France cause a greater ...

Answer 39

Demand for poor relief as soldiers were struggling

Question 40

Between the years 1817-1819 poor relief expenditure had reached ...

Answer 40

£8 million a year

Question 41

In cookham Berkshire they adopted ...

Answer 41

Aggressive policies to lower cost and lower paupersim

Question 42

In Gloucestershire the introduced rigorous ...

Answer 42

Reform this decreased the number of propers from 977 to 125

Question 43

In Gloucestershire what reforms did they make

Answer 43

Made workhouse conditions worse so only the desperate would seek admission

Question 44

In Nottinghamshire relief expenditure ...

Answer 44

Was below the national average inn1820-1823

Question 45

What did reverend J T Bletcher want to do

Answer 45

He wanted to combine 49 parishes into 1

Question 46

What did George Nichols claim

Answer 46

The allowance systems helped poverty to continue

Question 47

What is utanitarianism

Answer 47

The greatest happiness for the greater number of people

Question 48

What do thomas Malthus argue

Answer 48

That the poor law made the situation worse because it encouraged paupers to have more children so that they could claim more relief

Question 49

David Ricardo introduced the ...

Answer 49

Iron law of wages

Question 50

What is the iron law of wages

Answer 50

This is the belief that the poor rate and wages came out the same fund

Question 51

What did Thomas Paine think the rich should do

Answer 51

They should be taxed more to help with the poor relief

Question 52

What did Robert Owen create

Answer 52

His own community were he was responsible for employment and accommodation Everyone would share profits