Daily Life Flashcards
What 3 factors contributed to poverty in Elizabethan England?
Harvest Failures 1590s - Lower supply and higher demand from a growing population meant food prices rose
Illness - If a person was ill, they couldn’t work and so would become poor with rising housing and food prices. If a woman’s husband died, their children would have to work. Plagues only exacerbated this issue e.g. Flu outbreak 1556.
Population Growth - Population nearly doubled under Elizabeth’s reign causing higher demand for goods and higher competition for jobs.
What were the types of poor people?
Settled Poor - People who usually had a room to live in a town. Didn’t travel.
Vagabonds - Seen as the most dangerous type of poor person. Seen as lazy, idle and a threat to the social order.
Able-Bodied Poor - People who could work but were either begging or refused work. Sent to houses of correction or offered work.
Deserving Poor - People who physically couldn’t work, society were sympathetic towards these people.
What did Henry VIII close which reduced help for the poor?
The monasteries in 1530
Who were the labouring sort?
Unskilled workers generally working in the countryside for yeoman farmers
Note (Money) - Most labourers struggled with rent, fuel and food costs even with the high demand for labourers in the countryside
Note - There was upwards mobility in Elizabethan society
Who were the middling sort?
Generally yeoman farmers (countryside) or businessmen/guildsmen
Notes - Yeoman would own servants
Who were the gentry?
Wealthy landowners who often had patronage from Elizabeth
How did marriage work for the labouring and middling sort?
People usually married around their mid 20s
Need to protect assets was little and so middling sort and labouring sort had more freedom in marriage unlike the gentry (arranged marriages still existed here)
Same sex marriages not permitted
Sex before marriage was forbidden
How did marriage work for the gentry?
Similar to working and middling sort but arranged marriages were commonplace
Was it common to live with extended family?
No.
Labouring sort didn’t have the space and couldn’t afford it
When someone became a servant they would often move to a new village
Gentry could live with more family members due to the larger houses and larger income
Why did Elizabeth take action to aid the poor people?
It was feared that they might pose a real threat to society if enough of them grouped together and started a rebellion
Fear of an increase of crime due to desperation
Fears of the poor spreading disease
What act was passed in 1572 against vagabonds which was furthered in 1589?
Vagabonds Act - Made vagrancy punishable by death if caught 3 times begging
1589 - People banned from sheltering vagrants in their homes
Who got relief from the 1601 poor laws?
Impotent/Deserving Poor - Limited relief
Able-Bodied Poor - No relief
Vagabonds - No relief
Which laws before the 1601 poor law also governed the poor?
1572 - Allowed magistrated (local officials) raise money for the poor in their area
Act For Setting The Poor On Work 1576 - Made local authorities responsible for the poor in their area
What 3 things did the 1601 poor law do?
Introduced a nationwide Poor Rate which everyone had to pay or they would be imprisoned
Begging was banned - Punishment was a whipping and then you would be sent back to the place of your birth
Almshouses introduces for anyone who genuinely needed a place to live in
What was housing like for the labouring sort?
1 story, thatch roof, no windows or chimney
