Economy and Society

Question 1

What happened in 1555 and 1556 which caused harvest failures?

Answer 1

Heavy rain - it caused massive price rises and widespread famine

Question 2

What happened in 1556-8?

Answer 2

Typhus epidemics followed by a flu epidemic which killed 1 in 10 people

Question 3

How much did the population fall by between 1556-61?

Answer 3

5%

Question 4

How much had purchasing power fallen?

Answer 4

By 1559, purchasing power of a agricultural worker’s wage had dropped by 59% of what it had been 50 years prior

Question 5

How did Mary respond to the social issues?

Answer 5

Act in 1555 to stop enclosures

Encouraged larger towns to stockpile food and organise poor relief

5 free London hospitals set up

Question 6

How did Mary support the economy in 1555-7?

Answer 6

Weavers’ Act
Woollen Cloth Act
Retail Traders’ Act

These raised incentives for the unemployed to work and for industries to increase production