Attitudes and policies towards the poor Flashcards
Education in the home, schools and universities.
Depended on social position:
Poor children: No formal education - learned from their families, working on the land, or in the home. They needed to bring in a wage for the family.
Well off children : (boys) Petty schools age 4-8 reading, writing and arithmetic) - ran privately for gentry,merchants,yeoman farmers and craftsmen.
Parish schools - up to 10: set up locally by the Church adn ran by the clergy to teach basic literacy to children of yeomen farmers and craftsmen.
Grammar school age 8-14: (Latin, Greek, French, ancient and classical history, philosophy, archery, wrestling, chess and running) - education independety of the church and charged fees (for the gentry,merchants,craftsmen and yeoman)
Girls attended Dame schools or educated at home by mothers (Reading and writing, arithmetic, Music, dancing, needlework, horse riding and archery)
Universities for noble children– Boys - Private tutor until early teens (Latin, Greek, French, ancient and classical history), University (Oxford or Cambridge) from 14 or 15
Some went to Inns of Court in London to train as lawyers. Girls - Private tutor until early teens Then sent to another noble household to complete their education. Make useful social contacts and perfected the skills expected of them as a noble woman
Sport, pastimes and the theatre.
Depended on social position:
Nobility –
Both men and women :hunting,hawking, fishing
Just men: bowls, real tennis, fencing
Working people –
Men only:
football was a lower class game – could be very violent and had no rules
Spectator sports such as bear-baiting and cock-fighting were popular
gambling was also very common
All classes:
Theatre was also very popular with all classes in Elizabethan England – many new plays and purpose built theatres. Protestantism led to the development of new plays as many thought that the centuries-old plays were too Catholic
Wrestling was common for all classes
The reasons for the increase in poverty and vagabondage during these years.
Many reasons for increased poverty in Elizabethan England:
Increased population- 3 mill 1551 to 4.2 mill by 1601. This increased in demand for food while increasing labour supply. This meant ordinary people could no longer provide for themselves or family.
rising food prices- many people have to spend more money on food due to inflation
Decline in wool and cloth demand meant less people were employed in farm- this is because they were forced to search work or grow food - that that profitable
Enclosure of fields- land divided into fields for animal husbandry and arable farming or both and given to farmers for profit. This denies people use for common land.
more people forced to move to cities to look for work, international problems such as Dutch Revolt affected trade
Increase demand for land- population increase so does the rent along with creation of entry fees. Many people cannot afford these.
Bad harvests-subsistence farmers hit hard, reduced the food supply and drove up prices.
Economic recessions- caused by trade embargos, Spain over Netherland, created unemployment and poverty.
What are some changing attitudes towards the poor
Changing attitudes:
Some sympathy for impotent or deserving poor (unable to work due to illness or age) but able bodied or idle poor (those fit for work but didn’t) were treated more harshly (whipped,imprisoned,enslaved,hanged)
Fear of poverty led to disorder and was a potential cause of rebellion
Cost of dealing with the poor
Population change and enclosure meant poor became more visibly
Changes in wool trade,bad harvest and encolsure encouraged (Crown,Parliament, Justice of Peace) to a constructive attitude for the poor.
What has influenced the drive to expand trade
Economics - Wars with Spain and Netherlands had disrupted wool and cloth trade – English needed new markets. New World was full of riches; exotic crops, silver. Trans-Atlantic slave trade. The search for the North-West Passage to the Far East.
New technology: Quadrant/Astrolabe – new navigation Maps/printing – Mercator map more accurate and printing meant they were used by more people Ship design – Galleons were quicker, more manoeuvrable, more cargo space, more fire power
Politics - Rivalry with Spain for naval dominance. Drake as a privateer targeting Spanish Ships. Massive rewards e.g. Americas full of riches; exotic crops, silver..Financial rewards result in increased power and control
Intial attitude towards education
No national system of education. The purpose of it was to prepare for expected role in life. It focused on practical skills and basic literacy (20% can read/write)
Few children attended schools as it had fees. There was no need for a fromal education.
Changing influence on education
Early 1500 , Humanists argued that education was valuable. As a result this improved edchation during Elizabeth’s reign.
Protetsants argued that people should study scriptures (literacy boost).
Furthermore, the growth of printing meant books were less expensive gave people more chance to read.
Additionally, growth in trade required ordinary people to read,write and understand maths to transact purchases correctly.
Changes in education 1558-88
New grammar schools meant children were educated independently of the Church.
Scholarships allowed people from poorer backgrounds to recieve an education.
Literacy improved combined due to the resulr of the printign press, parish schools and need to read scriptures
What was literature and theatre like during Elizabethan England
New literature written during the period due to rise in literacy rates
Mystery plays replced with non-religious plays (Rose theatre)
Comedies funded by wealthy noblemen. Sponsors included the Aueen and Earl of Leicester.
All social classes attended theatre
What was music and dancing like during Elizabethan England
Many played instruments such as lutes and spinets.
Musical performaces were popular and held at public events. Furthermore, professionsl muscians may be booked doe private occasions by the nobility.
Music written to accompany plays and dancing remained a popular pastime. However, different. classes did not dance together
What was poverty during the Elizabeth reign and what types of people were poor
Poverty was:
Spending 80% of your income on bread
Being unemployed or ill so you can’t provide for yourself or others
Unable to afford rising cost of food
Requiring financial help (poor relif or charity)
What types of people were poor:
-Widows or women abandoned and their families
-sick and elderly
-orphanded children
-people on low wages
-itinerants,vagrants and vagabonds
Changing policies towards the poor
Government action –
1563 Statute of Artificers (to collect poor relief money)- refused to pay for the poor rates coukd be put in prison. Furthermore, officials who refhse to organise a poor relief can be fine £20
1572 Vagabonds Act (to deter vagrancy) - vagrants were punished. The act introduced a national poor rate, to provide suppport for the impotent poor. The JPs kept a register of the poor and found them work.
1576 Poor Relief Act (to help able bodied people find work. |JPs reauired to provide poor with wool and raw materials to create or sell things. The poor who refused were sent to the house of correction (prison)
Poor rate-local tax organised by the JPs (Justice of Peace) with the proceeds spent on improving the lives of poor - giving money or things to sell
Charity-funded by wealthy poeple to the charity foundation
Some success but poverty remained a problem throughout Elizabeth’s reign. Most important change was that these laws recognised that unemployment was a problem that needed to be solved and that people were not unemployed out of laziness
