4: The old Poor Law and pressures for change Flashcards
when did the state first take an interest in the poor?
under Elizabeth I during the 1500s
1601 Poor Law Act
put responsibility for dealing with poverty onto the local parishes - anyone seeking support/relief were sent back to their birth parish.
what did the 1601 poor law intend to do?
Intended to manage the growth of poverty to create social stability and prevent discontent spreading
The 1601 Poor Law by the end of the 1700s
The system was under pressure due to a higher population putting a growing strain on parishes
What did the 1601 poor law show a hint of?
government committment to address the issue of poverty. also that they recognised the dangers of excessive poverty (discontent/rioting/social instability)
pre-1834, how did Poor Relief change/continue?
fundamental principles from 1601 remained the same by 1785.
relief still determined by parish (not gov), local responsibility favoured as best method, most common relief was outdoor.
By 1785, how was the 1601 act becoming outdated?
With the growth of poorhouses and population. Also, many people were migrating due to industrialisation making it harder to seek relief in their birth parish.
the most common relief was what in the 17/1800s?
outdoor - giving money/food/clothes to the poor
Name 2 different systems which are examples of outdoor relief
Speedhamland and Roundsman
Speedhamland system
came from Berkshire. Tied the amount of relief to the cost of a loaf of bread (e.g. when a loaf coast 1 shilling, a man would receive 3 shillings. If he had wife/children, it was 6). Adopted by many southern parishes and paid for by the Poor Rate.
why was the Speedhamland system effective?
it was adopted by many southern parishes and began to establish some uniformity for poor relief.
when was the Poor Rate established
1601 act
what was the Roundsman system
sold pauper labour to employers (usually local farmers) at a reduced cost, with the difference made up from the Poor Rate.
what was “auctioning of labour”
often within the Roundsman system.
Where prices varied according to nature of work and time of year. Labour was bought and sold here.
what was the “Labour Rate”.
Separate fund from the Poor Rate. Money paid in and this was used to pay pauper to carry out work on behalf of the parish (e.g. road building).
what were the systems and outdoor relief designed to do?
minimise burden on parish ratepayers.
how was poor relief administered pre-1834?
administered by “Overseers of the Poor” who collected and distributed Poor Rate under the parish JP (Justice of the Peace).
name one of the acts which created elected parish committees, and what this meant for the parish.
1818 Act for Regulation of Parish Vestries
Tightened up the qualification for relief and showed public awareness of poverty.
why was poor relief efficacy limited pre-1834?
because of inconsistency. there was no co-ordinated country-wide response and each parish acted independently.
5 reasons the problem of poor relief magnified
rapid population growth, impact of industrialisation and employment, during wars with France, post-wars with France, Corn Laws
how did the rapid growth in population magnify the poor relief problem pre-1834 act?
9 million in 1801 (more than double than in 1601) which created an overwhelming demand for relief.
How did the impact of industrialisation magnify the poor relief problem?
saw a reduction in employment opportunities as labour was replaced with machines. In the countryside, the already season-dependent employment was made more fragile by the introduction of labour-saving machines - meaning people applied for relief more frequently.
when were the Napoleonic wars?
1793-1815
how did the wars with france (up to 1815) cause a rise in poor relief and stress on the system?
caused a rise in the cost of living - making more people need relief.
Due to the lack of foreign competition, bread prices rose a lot and people were forced to claim relief. The fact that the Speedhamland system was tied to bread prices placed a greater strain on available funds
why did many criticise the Speedhamland system (2 reasons)
- when the price of bread rose, there was a greater strain on the funds available.
- it provided a lack of incentive as people could claim whenever they needed
how did the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars cause an increase in the poor relief problem? (2 reasons)
british economy entered depression as trade was slow to redevelop
400,000 soldiers returned looking for work.
how did the corn laws magnify the poor relief problem pre-1834
1815 laws.
Keeping the price of bread high made unemployment worse (especially in rural areas).
urban areas and poor relief
even though employment was more readily available, wages were very low (no more than 12 shillings a week) and during periods of economic decline, these concentrated numbers of temporarily unemployed overwhelmed the relief system, leading to discontent and rioting
in 1802, what percentage of areas received what relief
10% of urban areas (mainly the north) received regular relief compared to 23% in the agricultural south
when was the Royal Commission set up
February 1832
what did the Royal Commission do?
sought to make recommendations for the improvement of the PL system. There were 9 commissioners (including Nassau Senior and Edwin Chadwick) who collected data and then wrote a report on the current system.
what method did the Poor Law Commission use to collect information?
sending questionnaires to 15,000 parishes, although only 10% responded and the questions were criticised for being worded deliberately awkward.
what did the Royal Commission’s final report find?
the system to be “woefully inadequate” in terms of effectiveness and cost, mainly due to the lack of uniformity and how easy it was to take advantage. They made a number of recommendations to improve the system, such as setting up a central board, removing outdoor relief and grouping together parishes.
how did people view the poor?
society didn’t have a problem with poverty itself, as it was thought poverty was necessary to encourage hard work. By 1785, there were two groups - ‘deserving poor’ and ‘undeserving poor’.
Difference between deserving and undeserving in their treatment
The ‘deserving’ often found room in a poorhouse, whereas the ‘undeserving’ were encouraged to find work and were provided with outdoor relief.
what act was passed in 1817 to help the able-bodied poor?
Poor Employment Act 1817 - granted public money to employ the poor on public works (e.g. road building). Paid for by the Labour Rate.
who was the head of utilitarianism
Jeremy Bentham - an English philosopher.
which theory was especially popular with the growing middle class?
Bentham’s utilitarianism
what was Bentham’s happiness theory
the belief that human nature was only motivated by pain and pleasure. Therefore, the government should promote the “greatest pleasure for the greatest number”.
how did Bentham’s 1789 theory link to poverty? (3 things)
he proposed the creation of a National Charity Company in 1796 to be responsible for the country’s poor. He proposed a harsh approach to poor relief, as workhouses would be so harsh that individuals would be motivated to self-improve when leaving.
His work formed the basis for the 1815 onwards PLAA drive and influenced the Royal Commission by adding intellectual weight.
how did Bentham talk about workhouses?
he said that they should be set up under the National Charity Company (which he also proposed in 1796) along the lines of his panopticon prison model. By putting paupers to work, they were contributing to society and would be motivated to self-improve when leaving.
when did Bentham publish his theory
1789
what was Ricardo’s theory
wage theory - that poor relief actually harmed the economy
who criticised poor relief (two individuals)
Malthus and Townsend.
what did Malthus say
that population grows exponentially, whereas food grows arithmetically. Therefore, populations will eventually outstrip the food supply.
He wrote this in his 1798 essay “An Essay on the Principe of Population”
what did Townsend write?
1786 - “Dissertation on the Poor Laws”
Claimed that poor relief actively promoted worse characteristics by denying the full extent of the lesson that real poverty provided.
which ideology was the most popular
the critical opinion (townsend/malthus) as when industrialisation continued, employment became more readily available, so paupers were seen as lazy and living off others’ generosity.
generally, which political section wanted to maintain the current system?
paternalistic tories and humanitarians, who believed in social responsibility
generally, which political section wanted to change the system a little?
tories who were worried about cost of current system
generally, which political section wanted to radically transform the system
whigs (a response to the growth of influence of free market economics)
who had a progressive opinion?
thomas paine and robert owen
Thomas Paine
Rights of Man - says that it’s the government’s fault, not the people, for poverty. The gov. should plan for its people’s welfare. He suggested child benefits for under 14s and an over 50s pension programme.
Robert Owen’s beliefs
He thought character was based on circumstance and people would help themselves if given the chance. For example, His model community at new Lanark provided education and good working conditions to “raise up” the working class.
what did Robert Owen’s work inspire
His success caused an increase in cooperative movements, For example Titus Salt’s 1848 Saltaire.
ideological pressures for change - which was more dominant?
The dominant ideology lay with more conservative thinkers (e.g. Malthus/Townsend) as placing the blame on the people led the government to continue with ‘laissez-faire’ism which influenced economic thought.
Financial pressure for change - the end of the French Wars (3 things)
- Military contracts Ended which affected manufacturing and 400,000 soldiers had to compete for work
- Industries laid off excess workers as Britain entered a depression
- Poor relief expenditure approached 2% of Britain’s Gross National Product
the return of prosperity in the 1820s - continuing pressure for change
There was a decline in poor relief as the economy battered, after 1824 the cost per head was 9s2d compared to 11s7d in 1819.
However the rising number of low paid workers was still costing large sums in Poor Rate payments as in urban areas, the people were at the mercy of the economic market. In agriculture labourers were increasingly replaced by machines.
financial pressure for change - the ratepayers
The ratepayers were reasonably influential figures who could also vote, as they had stable employment which allowed them to own/rent property.
With the rising cost of the Poor Rate, they became increasingly vocal.
Their arguments were given credibility by Ricardo’s wage fund theory (relief costs took money away from potential wages which harmed the economy)
