elizabethan - chapter 2.2 Flashcards
how did elizabethans think of society
in four social classes
what was the name of the lower level of society
the ‘fourth sort’ or labouring poor
how many people were in the ‘fourth sort’
it was made up of about half of all families in tudor england
what were people in the ‘fourth sort’/labouring poor like
- they were illiterate
- did not own their own land
- spent about 80% of their income on food and drink
what was the poorest part of england
the north-west
what was there a growing awareness of
there was a national poverty crisis
what was the population like for 2 centuries after the black death and how did this change during elizabeth’s reign
the size of englands population had remained fairly stable for the two centuries since the Black Death
but there was a dramatic population growth during elizabeth’s reign
how much did the population rise by between 1550 and 1600
by about 43%
what did the population growth lead to
- it placed huge pressure on resources, particularly food
- jobs were hard to come by
- with lots of workers available, wages stayed the same, but as the demand for food rose, so did the prices
- inflation was a huge problem throughout europe at this time, not just england
what were the causes of inflation
- growing population
- Spanish exploration of the ‘New World’ in central and south america had meant that there was more silver in circulation throughout europe, which reduced the value of all the currencies and pushed prices up
- Henry VIII had made inflation worse by significantly reducing the value of the coinage in the 1540s in order to pay for his wars against france and scotland
- war
why were wars an economical problem
- whenever wars were fought, taxes were increased, hitting the poor the hardest
- once the wars were over, england was left with large numbers of out of work soldiers and sailors who needed to find new employment
- wars with foreign countries had a harmful effect on englands international trade
what was englands most important trading partner
the city of Antwerp, with the trade of woollen cloth
what did the collapse in the woollen cloth (from Antwerp) market mean
the collapse of this market in the 1550s and later official bans on trade with the spanish-ruled netherlands in the 1560s, 1570s and 1580s deprived england of much needed revenue from its usual export markets
what did elizabeth and her gov encourage to make the rich richer
trade monopolies
they also made the poor poorer
where did most elizabethan’s live
rural areas
what put even more pressure on the poor
agricultural crisis and innovations
what changes in farming caused problems
- tenants became the victims of greedy landlords through unfair rack-renting which led to spiralling rents and lots of evictions
- the growth of enclosure was bad news for the poor
-> the traditional open fields were combined and enclosed with hedges to allow former arable land to be turned over to more profitable sheep farming
-> it was good for the rich landowners, but sheep farming was not as labour intensive, meaning farm labourers lost their jobs - enclosure also removed the common land
-> for the landless poor, the common was essential in that it provided them with a place for their animals to graze
-> for the poorest, a vital means of feeding their families had been taken away
in the past, what did the monasteries for
- they had been a source of charity for the poor
- they had provided food, shelter and medical care to the needy
when did henry VIII dissolve the monasteries
in the 1530s
what did it mean when henry VIII dissolved the monasteries
it meant help was removed
-> no more food, shelter and medical care for the poor
facing considerable hardship and no monasteries, what did a lot of poor people do and what did this mean
- they flocked in ever greater numbers to the towns looking for a better life
- the towns could not cope with such numbers
- the migration of so many brought the issue of poverty to public attention
- this forced authorities to respond and take responsibility for the welfare of the people for the first time
what did elizabethan’s believe
believed that the poor could be put into the groups and only some of them deserve help
what was the ‘idle poor’
- they were seen as a major threat to social order
- there was a belief that there was enough work for everyone
- they were dishonest and vagabonds, and often referred to as ‘sturdy beggars’
- these homeless people were considered to be an immoral and criminal class, perfectly fit but too lazy to find work and happy to live off begging and petty crime
why were people worried about the ‘idle poor’
- they seemed to be getting out of hand
- townspeople hated the vagrants and beggars
- many were attacked in the streets
in 1567 what did Thomas Hartman write a book about
- he wrote a book giving advice to readers about the various tricks played by different types of beggars to cheat people out of money
- he also described their use of coded language called ‘canting’
how could ‘anglers’ be spotted and what did they do
could be spotted by the long stick they carried, which would be used to steal clothes from peoples washing lines at night
what was a ‘ruffler’
looked like an army officer, but actually robbed people at sword point
what did ‘clapperdundgeons’ do
pretended to be badly wounded by using arsenic to make their skin bleed or wrapping their arms and legs in bloody rags
how could a ‘doxy’ be spotted and what did they do
- could be spotted by always wearing a needle in her hat and the large pack carried on her back in which she kept all her stolen goods
what did lots of vagabonds do
- many pretended to be ill in an attempt to attract sympathy
- many carried sticks, pretending to be lame
what did ‘counterfeit cranks’ do
dressed in old, dirty clothes and they pretended to have epileptic fits, using soap to make themselves foam at the mouth
what did ‘abraham men’ do
pretended to be mad, walking around half naked and making strange wailing noises
what was the vagabond lifestyle seen as
sinful, particularly by puritan officials who strongly disapproved of such lazy and dishonest ways
what did vagabonds tend to do
they did not travel alone, instead moved around in intimidating groups, robbing and terrorising villages as they went
what always concerned the gov (in relation to lower class)
- gov and those in power locally were always wary of possible breakdowns of the existing social hierarchy
- the possibility of a rebellion involving the lower class always concerned them
what proves how afraid the authorities were of vagabonds and possible rebellions
the amount written by local officials about the ‘idle poor’
when were the major outbreaks of the plague
1563
1583 to 1586
1590 to 1593
what were illnesses that were widespread
plague
smallpox
influenza
who was seen as a large part of the disease problem
the wandering poor
they were seen to as helping the disease spread around the country
what was elizabeth and he gov opinion on poverty
- elizabeth believed she had more important issues to focus on
- she and her gov were reluctant to accept that poverty was a national problem and that the gov was responsible for dealing with it
what did the gov do in an effort to solve the problem of poverty indirectly
- introduced various measures
- early in her reign, elizabeth carried out a full recoinage, which had been planned by her sister mary
-> this helped for a time, slowing down the rate of inflation caused by her fathers previous debasement of the coinage - a law in 1563 called the Statute of Artificers also placed wage limits on skilled workers, in an effort to slow down the rate of inflation
- the gov tried to slow down the trend for enclosure to protect rural jobs through a law called the Act on Husbandry and Tillage in 1598
what experimental measures did town councils, such as Norwich, introduce locally to try deal with poverty
- alms (money/food) were collected for the poor
- censuses were carried out to make registers of the poor
- work was provided for the unemployed in a workhouse
- efforts were made to control begging by making rules
what hospitals were set up in london to help with poverty
- St Bartholomew’s for the sick
- St Thomas for the elderly
- Christ’s hospital for orphans
- Bethlehem hospital (‘Bedlam’) for the insane
how did the gov react to local measures in dealing with poverty
the gov was impressed and gradually realised that a national system was needed to tackle the problem across the country
until now, the gov measures had been haphazard and confused
under elizabeth, when was legislation passed regarding the poor
1563, 1572, 1576
by the 1590s what was the country’s economy like and why
- economy was weak and poverty was still a problem
- years of war with spain had been expensive
- harvest failed repeatedly
- as a result, food prices were at an all-time high and people were starving to death
when was the poor law passed
1597
when was the poor law amended and what was it known as
1601
know in full as the Act for the Relief of the Poor
what did the poor law state
stated that everyone had to pay towards a local poor rate
-> people who refuse to pay could be fined or imprisoned
the local tax would pay towards parish officials, the setting up of workhouses, and the payment of relief to the ‘deserving poor’
what did the poor law compel each parish to do
appoint four ‘overseers of the poor’
-> the overseers would have a range of responsibilities in bringing in the new legislation
-> they were to ensure that orphans had apprenticeships, paid for by the parish, so they learned a trade
what did the poor law state had to be provided for the old and ill to live in
almshouses
they could receive handouts of money, food and clothing
this was called ‘outdoor relief’
what did the 1576 poor law state
that there was a third class of poor: those who were able bodied and genuinely unable to find work
the 1601 law continued to recognise this category
what did overseers have to do for the people who were able bodied but couldn’t find work
had to provide tools and stocks of raw materials such as hemp, wool, wood and iron, paid for from the poor rate
these materials could then be used in a ‘House of Industry’ or workhouse to provide the able-bodied poor with employment, with their wages paid out of the poor rate until they were able to find alternative employment
what was the strong belief to do with the poor and how did the poor law try to fix this
- there was still a strong belief that many of those in poverty were lazy and much of the legislation focused on preventing laziness by punishing those who were able, but unwilling, to work
- begging was strictly forbidden
-> the laws stated that beggars should be punished through whipping, after which they would be sent home to their place of birth
-> alternatively, they could be imprisoned and put to wok in a ‘House of Correction’
-> some were sent away to work on galley warships
-> persistent beggars, as had been outlined by early legislation, would be hanged
why was the poor law and important milestone
it was the first time in england that the gov took direct responsibility for the welfare of the people
-> this filled the gap that had been left by the dissolution of the monasteries
how long did the 1601 poor law remain in use
for over 200 years until 1834
were the poor laws successful
- yes
- there was np rebellion caused by poverty during elizabeth’s reign
- achieved their main aim: social order was preserved
what are the contrasting modern opinions on the poor laws
- some argue that the extent of the poverty problem was exaggerated, so giving the poor law more credit than it deserves
- on the other hand, some argue that the poor law did not go far enough
-> poverty continued to increase after the poor law was introduced - some argue that it was unnecessarily harsh, focusing too much on punishment rather than supporting those in need
