4: The implementation and effectiveness of the 1834 PLAA Flashcards
3 parts of the PLAA
- Poor Law Commission set up as central authority
- Grouped parishes together and built workhouses within these.
- Discouraged outdoor relief for the able-bodied poor and used less eligibility for the ‘deserving’ poor.
after 1834, what became the principle means of poor relief
workhouses
when outdoor relief was abandoned, what did the workhouse aim to do?
act as a deterrent
what view did the workhouse support
‘indolence’ view of pauperism from the early 1800s - that systems (such as Speedhamland) made it too easy for people to get support.
people/gov believed that the more workhouses there were..
the less burden there would be on ratepayers and poor relief
how were the workhouses funded (2 ways)
- Poor Law Commission set up 600 unions (grouping 15,000 parishes) and put local men as “Guardians of the Poor Law” in to fund the workhouses.
- Also the Poor Rate.
by 1839, how many workhouses had been built?
5 years since the act, 350 workhouses.
what was the general desire amongst PL guardians?
to keep the running costs as low as possible
4 examples of harsh conditions in workhouses
- separated sexes and families
- depersonalisation e.g. everyone wore uniform
- 10 hour working days
- Bread, cheese and gruel to eat.
working days in the workhouses example
10 hour days
in Guildford they broke stones for road building
in Andover they ground animal bones for fertilisers
despite the intention of banning outdoor relief, the reality was..
these practices still continued (although was restricted in 1844 to only the elderly/sick/orphans)
in 1862, how much did it cost to keep one person in a workhouse compared to outdoor relief?
workhouse - 4s8d
outdoor - 2s3d
workhouses in the north - cost
In the north many guardians didn’t build workhouses as these would mostly be empty (but still expensive) unless there was an economic downturn
was the PLAA successful?
A divisive public attitude meant it did not achieve immediate success, however by 1839 the anti-poor law movement was effectively defeated
whilst the act passed through parliament with little opposition..
it ignored criticisms relating to finance and many thought that it was too severe
resistance to the act - within parliament (2 examples)
- Tories in general (as it was passed by the Whigs). They also objected to the centralised nature of the new system as it took away local independence AND took away their sense of social responsibility.
- Radical politicians (e.g. Cobbett) as it made poor relief claimants look like criminals
resistance to the act - the people initially
came from rural areas to start with (e.g. East Anglia). People thought the government only wanted to save money and so there were riots across the southern counties in 1835.
resistance to the act - southern county riots
- Including: Ampthill in Bedforshire, East Kent and Suffolk. They demanded “money or blood”, but because they were not organised/united (as each place had issued different poor relief previously) they were easily quashed when the Riot Act was read in 1836.
resistance to the act - the North (peaceful resistance)
they opposed the act because the workhouses did not suit the pattern of cyclical temporary unemployment in the North.
Mainly organised by MP Michael Sadler and Richard Oastler, who held speeches and distributed articles across Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire.
(Riots followed.)
resistance to the act - the North (violent)
1837 riots in Bradford and other towns (e.g. Todmorden in 1838) were caused by a trade depression and lack of relief.
John Russell (home secretary) urged the Poor Law Commission to compromise as the movement gained considerable support.
1838 compromise - Lancashire and the West Riding permitted to offer other support as they saw fit.
opposition was strong against the government as..
the WC and MC allied - the MC were angry about the centralised system which stopped their new authority
Anti Poor Law movement by 1839
fractured, as the 1838 compromise in the North took the sting out of the movement and Chartism had taken its place as the main movement to follow.
