Changing attitudes and policies towards the poor Flashcards
What did the Puritans think about people out of work?
It was sinful behaviour that displeased God - anyone who refused to work should be severely punished
Why did people think there were huge numbers of vagabonds travelling around the country?
Exaggerated writings by pamphlet writers helped to cause unnecessary panic
What impact did the dissolution of the monasteries have on attempts to help the poor?
Everyone else could not cope with the growing numbers of poor people and could not afford to help them all
What was a vagabond?
A wandering beggar who Elizabethans thought was deliberately avoiding work
According to Elizabethans, what was the difference between the deserving poor and the undeserving poor?
The deserving poor wanted to work but couldn’t
The undeserving poor could work but wouldn’t
What were the three important poor laws in Elizabethan England you need to know about?
The Statute of Artificers (1563)
The Vagabonds Act (1572)
The Act for the Relief of the Poor (1576)
What was the aim of the 1563 Statute of Artificers?
To ensure all Elizabethans contributed to poor relief
What were the three features of the Statute of Artificers (1563)?
Justices of the Peace were now accountable for providing poor relief
People who refused to pay into the poor relief fund would go to prison
Justices of the Peace who collected poor relief poorly were fined £20
What was the aim of the 1572 Vagabonds Act?
To reduce the levels of vagrancy/vagabondage in towns and cities
What was the first punishment for being found guilty of being a vagabond?
You were whipped and a hole was burned through your right ear
What were the second and third offences for being a vagabond?
Second offence: imprisonment
Third offence: executed
How did the 1572 Vagabonds Act aim to help the poor?
It created a national system to monitor and help the poor.
A national poor rate was created to pay for food and shelter for the sick and elderly - every county had to pay the same amount.
Justices of the Peace had to keep a register of who was poor in their parish.
What was the aim of the 1576 Act for Relief of the Poor?
To distinguish between the deserving poor and undeserving poor
How did the 1576 Act for Relief of the Poor aim to help the poor?
Justices of the Peace had to provide raw materials for the able-bodied poor to make things they could sell to make money.
How did the 1576 Act for Relief of the Poor punish the poor?
Anyone refusing work was sent to a specially built prison called a House of Correction
