Elizabethan society in the Age of Exploration 1558-88: Poverty Flashcards
What was poverty during Elizabeth’s reign?
- Spending more than 80% of income on bread
- Being unemployed or ill, no longer able to provide for yourself or your family
- Unable to afford rising price of food
- Needing financial help (poor relief) or charity (alms)
Types of poor people
- Widows or women abandoned by husbands and family, women paid very little
- Sick and Elderly incapable of work
- Orphaned children- 40% of poor under 16
- People on low wages
- Itinerants, vagrants, and vagabonds- homeless people moved from parish looking for work. often involved in crime and worried authorities
Bad Harvests as a cause for poverty
(1562, 1565, 1573 and 1586) bad harvests hit subsistence farmers, reduced food supply and drove up harvests
Economic recessions as a cause for poverty
caused by trade embargos, such as those on Spain over Netherlands, created unemployment and poverty
Land Enclosures as a cause for poverty
land divided into fields for animal husbandry, arable farming or both, given to farmers who farmed for profit. denied people use of common land meant many unable to provide for families
Sheep farming as a cause for poverty
growth of wool trade meant many farmers preferred to rear sheep rather than grow food
Increasing demand for land as a cause for poverty
As population increased more people needed land. drove up rents and resulted in entry fees (up front cost at start of rental) Many couldn’t afford this
Population growth as a cause for poverty
population of England grew from 3 million 1551 to 4.2 million 1601. Increased demand for food (higher food prices) while increasing labour supply (lower wages). meant many couldn’t provide for themselves or their family.
Growth of towns as a cause for poverty
Growth of towns such as London and Norwich, drove up cost of rent, and food since it had to be brought in from rural areas to be sold
Reasons for changing attitudes towards poor
- Fear poverty led to disorder and potential cause for rebellion
- cost of dealing with poor, especially poor rates
- population changes and enclosure meant poor increasingly visible
- Changing economic circumstances, including problems with wool trade, bad harvests, and nclosures, forced authorities to develop more constructive attitude towards poverty
Attitudes towards poverty
many Elizabethans distinguished between:
* Deserving or impotent poor, couldn’t help themselves
* Idle or undeserving poor (could work but ‘chose’ not to)
Felt poor should be given every opportunity to better themselves but those who refuse should be punished. many suspicious of poor and demonised them as counterfeits and criminals. vagrants and vagabonds who deceived or threatened public dealt with severely, could be whipped, imprisoned, enslaved or hanged if caught begging
Continuity in policies towards the poor
- Poor rate-Local tax organised by Justices of the Peace with proceeds spent on improving lives of poor, often given money or things to make and sell
- Charity- Often funded by wealthy, gave name to charitable foundation
Progressive changes in policies towards the poor
- Statute of Artificers 1563- Those refusing to pay poor rate could be imprisoned. Officials who failed to organise poor relief could pay penalty of up to £20
- Poor Relief Act 1576- Justices of the Peace recquired to provide poor with wool and raw materials to make and sell things. Those who refused to do so sent to house of correction
Regressive changes in policies towards the poor
1572 Vagabonds Act- vagrants were:
* Whipped and hole drilled through each ear as mark of shame, warning others of vagrancy
* imprisoned if arrested again
* given death penalty for third offence
Act introduced national poor rate, to provide support including money and work for impotent poor. Justices of the Peace had to register poor. Authorities tasked with finding work for able-bodied poor
