3.4 New poor law

Question 1

What was the political party associated with changing the poor law?

Answer 1

Whig government stood for political, social and

Question 2

What did this party do? (what year did they do this)

Answer 2

They set up a Royal commission into the operation of the Poor Laws (1832).

There were 9 senior commissioners (Nassau Senior professor of political economics and Chadwick)

assistant commissioners visited 3,000 parishes 1/5 to create reports.

Questionnaires were sent to parishes and towns and then rural areas. They were not compulsory so only 10% were responded to.

Question 3

What were the strengths and weaknesses of the Royal commission?

Answer 3

Strengths- they were headed by individuals who were highly educated Nassau Senior professor of political economy.

• they were tailored to the location there were different questionnaires sent to towns than rural
• they used questionnaires but also physically visited the location.

Weaknesses- they only visited 3,000 parishes which was
only 1/5 not a whole representation.

it was not compulsory to fill in the questionnaires so they only received 10% in return.

Interviews could have been skewed to reach a specific outcome.

Question 4

What piece of legislation caused the first change to the old poor

Answer 4

the 1834 Poor Law amendment act was the piece of legislation that made a change to the poor law.

Question 5

What were the recommendations of the Royal Commission report amendment act? (4)

Answer 5

1-Separate workhouses should be provided for the elderly, infirm, children and able bodied men, and able bodied women.
2-Parishes should group into unions for the purpose of providing workhouses.
3-All relief outside workhouses should stop, and conditions inside workhouses should be worse than those of the poorest labourer.
4- A new central authority should be established, with powers to make and enforce regulations.

Question 6

What were the aims of the poor law amendment act? (3)

Answer 6

1-Reduced the cost of providing poor relief.
2-Ensuring only the completely destitute got relief.
3- insured it was a national system.

Question 7

What were the main terms of the poor law amendment act? (4)

Answer 7

1-A central authority should be set up to supervise the implementation and regulate the administration of the poor law.
2-Each poor Law union was to establish a workhouse in which the conditions inside were were than those of the poorest independent labourer on the outside.
3-Outdoor relief for able-bodied paupers was to be discouraged but not abolished for able bodied pauper.

Question 8

What were the key individuals involved in the 1834 poor law amendment act? (poor law commissioners)

Answer 8

1-Thomas Frankland Lewis- who had been a Tory MP
2- George Nicholls, a retired sea captain who had also been an overseer that proposed radical changes in Nottinghamshire.
3- John Shaw Lefevre- A lawyer who had also been a whig MP,
4- Edwin Chadwick- the secretary to the commission and a utilitarian lawyer.

Question 9

Information about architecture of workhouses?

Answer 9

Were in a cruciform or y shape.

Had imposing gates at the entrance.
Desgined to look like a prison.

No sunlight going into the building.

Question 10

What was the discipline of the workhouse?

Answer 10

Staff and paupers hurled abuse to each other.

Sexual abuse between overseer and paupers and pauper to pauper.

Workhouse staff used reward and punishment process.
Rewards were things like “clean jobs” food or pocket Money. They could be punished for being to loud or working too slowly.

Discipline was less severe under the new poor law as there were limitations to what the overseer could do.

Question 11

Children in the workhouse information?

Answer 11

Children were not seen as responsible for being in the workhouse.

The condition inside the workhouses were better for children as they got medical attention and schooling.
Children were apprenticed to a trade at the age of 9.

Question 12

Diet in the workhouse information? (4)

Answer 12

1-Supply of food was to keep paupers alive and degrade them.

2-Food was made to be monotonous and not pleasurable to eat.

3-They were made to eat in silence until 1842.

4-Food was mixed with dangerous ingredients.

Question 13

Rules and routine of the workhouse? information(4)

Answer 13

1-On entry to a workhouse pauper families were given medical inspections and then split up. The assumption was that the pauper had given up responsibility of the family.

2-Paupers had to wear a uniform that fit for some and not for others.

3-Paupers were only allowed one weekly bathed and were watched.

4-No possessions were allowed on the inside of the workhouse.

Question 14

Work in the workhouse information?

Answer 14

1-The work had to be available in the confines of the the workhouse.

2-It could not diminish employment outside the workhouse.

3-Women and children were made to maintain the workhouse.

4-Men were made to work like smashing limetone, unravelling ropes for fibre and chopping wood.

Question 15

Types of people In the workhouse? (5)

Answer 15

Young people- workhouses provided a solution to personal crisis and would move in and out of the workhouses.

Vagrants- were seen as the lowest of the low and were given overnight accommodation in the “casual” wards.
Vagrants had their clothes disinfected.

Ederly- were given support until death before death by workhouse

Children- made up of 25% to 40% of the admissions

Mentally ill went from 1 in 100 inmates to 1 in 8

Question 16

Staff in the workhouse information.

Answer 16

Master- was responsible for the discipline and economy of the workhouse.

Matron- for the female paupers and domestic sides of life.

In Kent the workhouse was run by a retired navy member and his wife. They were renowned for their efficiency and compassion. When they were no longer in charge paupers wept.

George Cath ex-policemen moved from workhouse to workhouse inflicting terror wherever he went.

Question 17

What were 5 ways the workhouses did uphold less eligibility?

Answer 17

1-Upon arrival the pauper families were split up.

2- Meals had to be eaten in silence until 1842

3- No new jobs were created to prevent taking employment from paupers on the outside. So jobs were monotonous.

4- Loss of personal identity as all personal belongings were taken away.

5- Strong physical discipline against men.

Question 18

What were the ways the workhouses did not uphold less eligibility?

Answer 18

1- They were able to have 3 meals a day were compulsory

2- Were given accommodation

3- Children were giving an education and apprenticed to a trade at 9.

4- If they behaved well they were given rewards like “pocket money”.

5- They were given a weekly bath.

Question 19

What are the reasons the new poor Law was opposed?

Answer 19

Workhouses were seen as “prisons for the poor”.

Many people hated and feared the threat of a workhouses especially in the north.

Due to cyclical unemployment in rural areas, short term was needed not the movement of whole families in workhouses.

The centralisation of the Poor Law Commission was resented by many in the Midlands and the North who believed they had little knowledge of industrial conditions.

Question 20

What were the different oppositions to poor law?

Answer 20

Protests in rural south,
opposition in the north,
Richard Oastler,
Rumour and propaganda,
Genuine fear,
John Fielden.

Question 21

what happened in the protests in rural south oppositions?

Answer 21

Local magistrates Clergy were angry at the centralisation of the new poor law joined with the poor who were also alarmed.

In Buckinghamshire, people took to the streets when paupers in Chalfont were being transported to the union workhouses in Amersham.

In East Anglia, newly built workhouses were attacked the one at St Clements being especially damaged.

Whilst poor citizens took to the street and more influential citizens continued to promote outdoor life.

Question 22

What was the rumour and propaganda opposition?

Answer 22

Union workhouses were built so far from paupers they were seen as “extermination caps”

“Book of murder” was published and suggested that pauper children were getting gassed.

Rumours that children over 3 were killed.

It was rumoured that in outdoor relief the bread was poisoned.

Question 23

What was the genuine fear opposition?

Answer 23

Poor Law commission didn’t do much to consider relief outside London.

Addition of workhouses would mean higher taxes.

Hard for the workhouse to sustain everyone.

Question 24

What was Richard Oastler opposition?

Answer 24

He believed poor law commission was too powerful so had a monopoly.

Concerned about unions as he believed it depersonalised the workhouse.

by 1838 he was urging people to get involved in strikes and sabotaging.

He was dismissed from his role and sent to a debtors prison.

Question 25

What was John Fielden opposition?

Answer 25

Local MP and Local factory owner.

When new poor law was introduced he threatened to close his factories who employed 3,000 people.
This threat would have caused many workers to claim relief.

Factories closed for a week and he managed to stop it in Todmordon until 1877

Question 26

What was the Northen opposition?

Answer 26

The 10 hours movement was set up to reduce working hours. Backed by anti-poor law.

Armed riots in Todomordon, Oldham and Rochdale were put down by local militia.

In Huddersfield, the Guardian George Tinker warned commmissioners that it would be dangerous to put a poor law into action.

London troops were sent to quell the 1838 riots.

In Bradford 1838 The assistant commissioner was threatened and pelted with stones.

Question 27

What was the Poor Law Commision’s two priorities 1834-47?

Answer 27

The transfer of out of work, and underemployed workers in rural areas where employment was plentiful.
The protection of urban rate payers from a sudden surge of demand from rural migrants prior to their obtaining regular employment.

Question 28

How were the two priorities met?

Answer 28

the first one was met by a programme of workhouse construction.
The second one was met by the Settlement laws.

Question 29

What was the early life on Edwin Chadwick.

And how did this impact his early life?

Answer 29

As Chadwick worked for two years as the secretary of Jeremy Bentham he became a strong believer in utilitarianism.

And because of the roles he played this permeated the Royal Commission’s report,
the poor law amendment act.21

Question 30

How was Edwin Chadwick involved with the Poor Law?

And why was he?

Answer 30

As a young barrister Chadwick was appointed as to the Royal Commission as an assistant commissioner. His high output of being a report writer allowed him to the post of commissioner.

Question 31

What was Chadwick’s involvement in the PLC?

Answer 31

His skill in writing was so exceptional that him and Nassau Senior co wrote the report.

Chadwick set out the second part of the report setting out the remedial measures.

Question 32

What was Chadwick’s objective in the PLC?

Answer 32

His objective was to decrease the amount of people who applied for relief. This was driven by the concept of less elegibility. That the condition inside the workhouse was worse than the poorest individual on the outside.

Question 33

How else did Chadwick exert his influence on PLC?

Answer 33

The drafting on the parliamentry bill was the responsibility of sturges bourne, Nassau Senior but Chadwick provided his influence through “notes for heads of bills”.

Question 34

What was the “Notes for heads of bills”.

Answer 34

This set out what should be included in the bill.
It was circulated to cabinet members and fellow commissioners.

It made two recommendations:
That poor relief should be. vested in elected boards of guardians.

That magistrates could become ex officio Poor Law
Guardians.

Both recommendations were implemented.

Question 35

What was the controversy around Chadwick?

What was the impact of this?

Who else got involved?

Answer 35

As Chadwick had been driving both the report and the act. He expected to be one of the three Poor Law commissioners.

It was argued that the recommendations and the subsequent act were less than specific because Chadwick expected to be implementing them himself.

Nassau Senior heavily recommended his appointment.

Question 36

What were 4 successes of the Poor Law opposition?

Answer 36

In Todmordon the implementation of the new Poor Law was delayed until 1877.

Richard Oastler was dismissed from his role and sent to a debtors prison.

The 10 hours movement caused a change in legislation.

Question 37

What were 4 failures of the Poor Law opposition?

Answer 37

John Fielden eventually lost his fight as it was implemented in Todmordon in 1877.

Violent protests had to be resorted to gain acknowledgement/

The system remained centralised until the 1930s

Workhouses could not accomodate that the numbers that would need relief in times of cyclical unemployment.

Question 38

What powers did the Commission have?

Answer 38

Commission was independent of Parliament. Both a great strength and a great weakness.
They had no one to defend them in parliament from criticisms (hated in Parliament).

Despite this, the commission still had powerful constitutional position. Commissioners could issue directives, draw up regulations and monitor their implementation.
Had a range of Negative Powers like Veto unsuitable appointments.