Government, Self-help and Charity Flashcards
What was the Andover Workhouse Scandal?
Andover Union in Hampshire had been seen as a model for the post-1834 Poor Law.
In 1837 guardians appointed M’Dougal as the workhouse master. The guardians were so confident in his ability that they only made cursory inspections.
Reports began to be made that the workhouse was not good.
Poor Law commissioners ordered Henry Parker to investigate, he discovered that the rumours were true and that there was dreadful abuse by M’Dougal and his son, less food was served than even the worse diet set out. Many paupers sucked meat and rotting marrow from the bones they were supposed to be crushing.
The Poor Law commissioners sacked M’Dougal and blamed Parker for not uncovering the abuse soon enough (without mentioning they had reduced no. of assistants from 21 to 9). They sacked Parker and banned bone crushing.
Parker wrote a pamphlet explaining his position and had the support of Chadwick.
Describe the Poor Law Board
1847-1875
Replaced the Poor Law Commission
More responsible to parliament
Increased the number for inspectors.
How did the Poor Law Board balance outdoor and indoor relief?
It had become clear that outdoor couldn’t be abolished
In 1846 of the 1.3 million paupers only 200,000 were in workhouses.
In 1852 an attempted was made to incarcerate all able-bodied paupers in workhouses and issued a general order prohibiting outdoor relief. It failed.
Many guardians used loopholes to continue giving outdoor relief.
Guardians preferred outdoor relief as it was more cost effective.
In 1863 following the cotton crop failure in US, factory workers in Lancashire were out of work and needed short-term relief - outdoor.
Public Works Act 1863 was passed to give them work but by the time it was passed the worst of it was over.
How had the government changed the treatment of pauper education after 1847?
Education of pauper children began to try to ensure that they wouldn’t return to the workhouse.
Poor Law (Schools) Act 1848 allowed Poor Law unions to provide district schools. In Leeds and Manchester industrial schools were created so the children would learn a trade.
Forster’s Education Act 1870 set up board schools where pauper children could mix with other children.
How had the government changed the treatment of ill paupers after 1847?
Illness of the main breadwinner was the main cause of poverty and the Poor Law administration ignored this. Most ill paupers were kept in the homes as a form of outdoor relief. In 1840 150,000 of 34.5 million was spent on health services.
From 1852 a pauper who could not pay for treatment qualified for outdoor relief.
Workhouse hospitals had poor conditions, so they stopped workhouse hospitals and created pauper hospitals.
Metropolitan Poor Act 1867 organised London into asylum districts which provided hospitals, Poor Law providing state-funded medical care,
Connections of medicine and less eligibility were broken.
How did government action improve finance after 1847?
PLAA meant that some parishes had high costs whilst others were low. In some areas the Poor Rate was so high it couldn’t be met.
Resolved by Union Chargeability Act 1865 which placed the burden on the whole union not just the parishes within the union so richer parishes subsidised the poorer ones.
Most guardians predominantly aimed to keep costs low.
How did the Parliamentary Reform Act effect the Poor Law?
Extended the franchise so the majority was working class.
Increased pressure to democratise the election of guardians.
Government became increasingly aware of pauper welfare.
What was the Local Government Board?
Took over responsibility for Poor Law administration in 1871.
It tried to reduce the number of paupers claiming relief.
Condemned outdoor relief.
Supported local authorities when they were harsh in giving relief. Deterrent workhouses made for the underserving poor.
Authorised emigration schemes.
Their were still over double the number of paupers receiving outdoor relief than indoor.
What was the Charity Organisation Society?
Founded 1869.
Aimed to coordinate charities.
It was highly influential
Co-operated with the poor law to establish who’s work was who’s
Organised the works of other charities
Ensured only the deserving were receiving relief.
It had a federal structure, the District Provident Society in Manchester made little effort to co-ordinate the charities in their area.
Many areas failed to raise sufficient funds
They were investigative into the lives of the poor which wasn’t well received.
They were overbearing on other charities.
Guardians thought they were interfering.
They helped give evidence to enquiries due to their systematic information collection.
What were friendly societies?
Existing since the 17th century there was a surge in number and membership in the 18th.
They began as groups of friends which would help one another in times of need.
They paid a weekly subscription which helped the people who needed it. By 1847 it was a organisation with central bodies and branches which helped spread its costs. By 1877 over 2.7million people were members.
They provided security .
Many couldn’t afford the weekly fee.
Some societies fined people who missed payments.
Some were refused memb ership to people who had health risks, or worked in dangerous conditions.
Some were badly managed meaning that they couldn’t afford to help the members when they neede dit.
What were trade unions?
Many people combined to negotiate and fight for improved conditions and higher pay. They were often skill-based.
A weekly membership had to be paid.
Some had sickness funds whilst others didn’t.
What were co-operative societies?
Began in 1844 by a group of weavers in Rochdale. Each person paid £1 which was used to rent a shop and to buy and sell on good quality food to pauper families.
The members were paid a dividend which increased their popularity.
They didn’t offer credit so that people weren’t in debt. However in some times of crises it was offered.
Who was Samuel Smiles?
Began writing about parliamentary reform as a medical student in Edinburgh. He admired MP for Leeds, Joseph Hume and Smiles began writing for the Leeds Times which he later became an editor of.
Supported the co-operative societies.
He came to believe that reform alone wasn’t going to stop poverty. He became a fan of self-help and wrote some books, his final one was never published.
Who was Henry Mayhew?
He was disinherited by his father for becoming a journalist rather than a lawyer.
He co-founded Punch magazine in 1841, it was hugely successful but he left in 1845 and began to write for Morning Chronicle.
In 1849 he wrote a series of articles about the poor in London, they were gathered together and published in London Labour and the London Poor. He revealed that London’s economy was dependent on unskilled, casual labour.
He separated the poor into those who will work (ranged from elites to labourers) those who can’t work (illness, poor weather) and those who will not work (calculated that between 40,000 - 100,000 London men and boys were beggers).
Who was Charles Dickens?
Novelists reflect and direct public attitudes.
He emphasised that the poor were people and that the workhouse system was mindless.
He experienced poverty first-hand.
The most damning work was Oliver Twist
Other relevant novels include Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell and Sybil, or the Two Nations by Benjamin Disraeli.
