Depth 2: 1834 PLAA & less eligibility, 1932-47

Question 1

Summarise the Royal Commission of Enquiry & the recommendations
made in no more than 20 words.

Answer 1

The Royal Commission criticised Poor Laws, gathered biased data, and recommended harsher workhouses to deter poverty while reducing relief costs (principle of less eligibility).

Question 2

Who led/composed the Royal Commission of Enquiry (RCE)?

Answer 2

It consisted of 9 commissioners, including Chadwick, with 26 assistant commissioners doing most of the work.

Question 3

What was the Royal Commission of Enquiry’s bias?

Answer 3

Influenced by Utilitarianism, making an unbiased investigation unlikely.

Question 4

How did the RCE gather information?

Answer 4

Used three questionnaires sent to rural and town parishes.

Question 5

How many parishes responded in the RCE?

Answer 5

Only around 10% of parishes replied.

Question 6

What was a major issue with the data gathered in the RCE?

Answer 6

The immense amount of information that was hard to analyse.

Question 7

How did assistant commissioners contribute to the RCE?

Answer 7

They visited 3,000 parishes and conducted ‘interviews’.

Question 8

Was the RCE fair?

Answer 8

No, questions were skewed to confirm existing beliefs.

Question 9

How was the word ‘allowances’ problematic in the RCE?

Answer 9

Different parishes interpreted it differently, causing confusion in findings.

Question 10

What did the final report claim about allowances in the RCE?

Answer 10

It stated they were still widely used, though they had mostly ended in the 1820s.

Question 11

What did the RCE report criticise?

Answer 11

The Poor Law system, highlighting corruption and public misconceptions.

Question 12

What distinction did commissioners in the RCE make?

Answer 12

Between poverty and indigence, seeing only the latter as deserving help.

Question 13

What was the major change proposed for workhouses in the RCE?

Answer 13

Separate workhouses for different groups (aged, infirm, children, able-bodied men and women).

Question 14

What was the goal of workhouse conditions in the RCE report?

Answer 14

They should be so harsh that no one would enter unless desperate.

The Principle of Less Eligibility

Question 15

What change was recommended for parish relief in the RCE report?

Answer 15

All relief outside workhouses should stop.

Question 16

What were the aims of the Poor Law policy?

Answer 16

Reduce relief costs.

Ensure only the truly destitute received aid.

Create a national poor relief system.

Question 17

What was the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act (PLAA), the ‘New’ Poor Law?

Answer 17

Followed the RCE’s recommendations, aiming to cut relief costs.

Question 18

Why did some oppose the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act?

Answer 18

The only opposition came from MPs in the West Midlands and North.

Tories saw it as an attack on traditional paternalism.
Older Whig MP’s believed it robbed the poor of necessary relief.

Question 19

What were the key contents of the 1834 PLAA?

Answer 19

A central authority was created to oversee Poor Law implementation.

Parishes were grouped into unions (PL unions) to manage relief (amalgamation).

Question 20

How did the new Poor Law affect workhouses?

Answer 20

Each Poor Law Union had to build a workhouse with worse conditions than the poorest independent laborer, discouraging reliance on outdoor relief.

Question 21

Who were the key figures in the Poor Law Commission?

Answer 21

Thomas Lewis (Tory MP).

George Nicholls (retired sea captain & Bank of England official).

John Shaw-Lefevre (Whig lawyer).

Edwin Chadwick (Secretary).

Question 22

Why was the Poor Law Commission controversial?

Answer 22

It was independent of Parliament, had no spokesperson for defense, and was widely hated, especially by the press.

Question 23

What were the PL Commission’s main priorities?

Answer 23

Move unemployed workers to urban areas.

Protect ratepayers from rising costs.

Construct workhouses to provide deterrence.

Settlement laws to protect workers.

Question 24

What was the impact of building more workhouses (priority 1 of PLC)?

Answer 24

It was meant to stop outdoor relief, but the law took time to be enforced.

By 1842, it was extended to northern rural areas.

Question 25

What was the 1844 General Outdoor Relief Prohibitory Order?

Answer 25

It banned outdoor relief, but in reality, it continued, especially in areas with high unemployment. Not only did it continue, it was the most common form of relief.

Question 26

What were the Settlement Laws, and why were they costly?

Answer 26

They ensured relief costs were shared fairly by returning paupers to their original parishes. By 1840, 40,000 people had been removed from parishes & relocated back to their original parish of settlement.

Question 27

Who was Edwin Chadwick and what did he advocate for?

Answer 27

A key figure/author of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act. He wrote the Report on the Sanitary Condition of the Labouring Population of Great Britain. Advocated for Less Eligibility and Utilitarianism principles.

Question 28

What was Chadwick’s role in the Poor Law reforms?

Answer 28

Co-wrote the PLAA on measures to improve the Poor Law. Wrote Notes for the Heads of the Bill, which influenced policy. His proposals led to laws requiring elected guardians and magistrates as Poor Law guardians.

Question 29

What position did Chadwick hold?

Answer 29

Expected to be a Commissioner but was overruled. Instead, he became the Commission’s secretary and issued hundreds of regulations.

Question 30

What was the purpose of workhouse design?

Answer 30

Designed to deter people from seeking relief. X and Y-shaped layouts promoted segregation and prevented socializing. The Principle of Less Eligibility

Question 31

How were paupers in the workhouses separated?

Answer 31

By class, age, and gender to further demoralize them. Families were split up upon entry. Loss of individuality.

Question 32

How were families treated in the workhouse (demoralisation)?

Answer 32

Families were split up; children stayed with mothers only until age 7. Children were later sent to schools and apprenticed into trades.

Question 33

What were the daily routines like (demoralisation)

Answer 33

Strict schedules: • Breakfast: 7-8 AM • Work & Lunch • Supper: 6-7 PM • Sleep: 8 PM

Question 34

What personal freedoms were taken away (demoralisation)?

Answer 34

Paupers wore workhouse uniforms. Men got razors once a week and bathed under supervision. No personal possessions, cupboards, or lockers were allowed.

Question 35

Where did work take place?

Answer 35

Had to be done within the workhouse. Couldn’t interfere with outside labor to prevent competition.

Question 36

What jobs did paupers in the workhouse do?

Answer 36

Maintenance work within the workhouse. Repetitive, monotonous tasks like unraveling rope or chopping wood.

Question 37

What were workhouse diets like?

Answer 37

Six model diets were issued by the PLC for workhouses to choose from. Meals were minimal, and paupers were just getting by. Until 1842, meals had to be eaten in silence.

Question 38

How was food distributed in the workhouse?

Answer 38

Weighed before serving. Sometimes served cold. Until 1830, cutlery was not allowed.

Question 39

How was discipline enforced in the workhouse?

Answer 39

Punishments included: • Reduction of rations • Confinement in cells • Beatings • Spending the night in the mortuary

Question 40

How were punishments documented? How were serious crimes handled in the workhouse? Up until 1971, paupers had to do what?

Answer 40

A record book documented punishments. Involvement of the law. Up until 1871, paupers could leave with three hours’ notice, causing clashes with staff.

Question 41

How were children treated in workhouses?

Answer 41

Given better treatment than adults. Received education, medical care, and apprenticeships. After the Education Act 1870, workhouse children attended regular schools.

Question 42

Who were the New Paupers?

Answer 42

Young People: in times of crisis, workhouses provided safety. Vagrants: given shelter overnight & food. Elderly: given shelter & food until death. Children: 25-40% of all admissions. Single women: could claim outdoor relief so used the workhouse. Mentally ill: 1/8 paupers towards the end of the 1800s.

Question 43

What were some rumours & propaganda surrounding the workhouses?

Answer 43

Many believed workhouses were killing people. The Book of Murder circulated, saying pauper children should be gassed. Some thought the bread was poisoned. Rumours spread children over 3 were killed. Many believe they were created to lower wages.

Question 44

What were some genuine fears about the 1834 PLAA?

Answer 44

Many opposed the centralisation of the PL. Some feared the breaking of traditional, paternal bonds. Ratepayers realised outdoor relief was cheaper than workhouses (indoor). Northern ratepayers saw workhouses as pointless due to cyclical unemployment.

Question 45

How did people protest against the PL in the rural South?

Answer 45

Magistrates joined in, as they saw the PLAA as unnecessary centralisation. In Buckinghamshire, riots erupted when paupers were transferred. East Anglia saw attacks on new workhouses, with influential citizens resisting the law. Dorset labourers were transported for swearing illegal oaths, suppressing some revolts.

Question 46

Why was there strong opposition to the PL in the North?

Answer 46

Factory owners, magistrates & guardians opposed London’s interference. The Ten Hours Movement campaigned for shorter working hours. Riots took place in Oldham, Rochdale, Todmorden & Huddersfield. In Bradford & Dewsbury, London troops were went to control riots. The PLAA couldn’t be implemented in Todmorden until 1877 due to opposition.

Question 47

Who was Richard Oastler & how did he oppose the PL?

Answer 47

He believed the PLC were too powerful. He argued the law provided factories with cheap labour, increasing poverty. He encouraged workers in Fixby to sabotage & destroy property, hence his landlord dismissed him from his job & later imprisoned for debt.

Question 48

Who was John Fielden & how did he resist the PL?

Answer 48

He represented Oldham & voted against the PLAA, striving to try it repealed. In Todmorden, he treated to close his mill in protest, leaving 3,000 unemployed. When he reopened the mill, riots broke out, delaying the law’s implementation until 1877.

Question 49

How effective was the opposition to the 1834 PLAA?

Answer 49

It was well organised, but ultimately unsuccessful. The Government made some concessions, (e.g. Todmorden) & few workhouses were built until the 50-60s. Opposition was fairly short lived, largely a knee-jerk reaction to change.