P&P

Question 1

How did population growth affect local parishes’ provision of poor relief?

Answer 1

Population growth led to higher demand on local parishes to provide poor relief.

Question 2

What did the 1662 Act of Settlement do?

Answer 2

The 1662 Act of Settlement defined membership to a parish as either being born there or being a resident for over a year.

Question 3

What were the rules for poor relief in each parish?

Answer 3

Each parish had their own local and individualized rules for poor relief, resulting in national inconsistency of quality of support.

Question 4

What is outdoor relief and why was it preferred over poorhouses?

Answer 4

Outdoor relief is giving money, food, and clothes rather than placing them in the poorhouse institution, poorhouses served as a deterrent against idleness.

Question 5

What was the purpose of the 1723 ‘Workhouse Test’ law?

Answer 5

The Workhouse Test law required claimants to undertake a set amount of work in a workhouse to prevent irresponsible claims on a parish’s poor rate.

Question 6

How many poorhouses were there in England by 1776?

Answer 6

By 1776, there were 2000 poorhouses in England, each having 20-50 inmates, which led to the 1782 Gilbert’s Act.

Question 7

What is the Speenhamland system and how did it determine relief value?

Answer 7

The Speenhamland system determined the value of relief based on the cost of a gallon loaf of bread and was developed most in the South, and used the Poor Rate as its source of money.

Question 8

What is the Roundsman system and how did it work?

Answer 8

The Roundsman system involved locals employing paupers on a reduced wage, with the difference made up by the local parish from the Poor Rate, and used tickets signed by the employer to take to the parish.

Question 9

Labour rate

Answer 9

A separate fund to the Poor Rate paid to paupers working on behalf of the parish

Question 10

What were the aims of the 3 systems to reduce tax burden and poverty

Answer 10

Voluntary ‘Overseers of the Poor’ would collect and distribute the Poor Rate under parish JP; these were the only type of relief given to paupers. Wanted to reduce tax burden on ratepayers and reduce national inconsistency

Question 11

Formalisation of poor relief

Answer 11

In 1818/1819 2 Amendment Acts on the Relief of the Poor created ‘parish committees’ elected by ratepayers to scrutinise and advise on relief-giving; benefited MC, tightening the stipulations to receive relief

Question 12

Lack of national approach to poverty

Answer 12

As there was no country-wide national approach, parishes acted individually with different systems; population increase worsened problem of poverty

Question 13

Impacts of industrialisation and the War with France (1793-1815)

Answer 13

Laid off agricultural workers and rose the cost of living
Made Speenhamland System difficult to sustain
1815 corn laws worsened the situation

Question 14

Economic depression and influx of soldiers

Answer 14

After the war, there was an economic depression
Unemployed soldiers caused more people to seek poor relief

Question 15

Poor Relief and Rioting

Answer 15

£6.4m spent on poor relief between 1814 and 1818
Riots broke out due to inefficiency in poor relief system
Swing Riots in agricultural areas with the Speenhamland System

Question 16

Resentment and Cost of Poor Law

Answer 16

Poor Law cost £7m a year by 1830
Caused resentment amongst the industrial middle class
Cities had huge numbers of paupers, resulting in high costs for the MC

Question 17

1832 Royal Commission

Answer 17

Government established the 1832 Royal Commission to investigate the poor relief system
9 commissioners, including Nassau Senior and Edwin Chadwick
Used scientific methods to gather evidence
Questionnaires were sent to 15,000 parishes, but only 10% responded

Question 18

Criticism of the Commission’s investigation

Answer 18

Many questions deliberately phrased for a particular answer
Nassau Senior started to write the report before all the data was collected
The results said the current system of poor relief was inadequate due to lack of uniformity and abuse of system
It recommended removal of outdoor relief, punishing workhouses, grouping of parishes to manage workhouses better, a central board to oversee the system
It suggested a centralised, punitive approach

Question 19

Two Attitudes to the Poor after the Industrial Revolution

Answer 19

Fatalistic: Poverty was inevitable in any society, pity.
Moralistic: Poverty was a result of a weakness of character, disgust.

Question 20

Prosperous industrial MC wanted to distance themselves from the idea of poverty

Answer 20

Moralistic: They had used ‘self-help’ to grow.

Question 21

British Society’s Beliefs About the Poor

Answer 21

Deserving: Unable to help themselves; sick, orphan, ill.
Undeserving: Able-bodied poor who often couldn’t find work.

Question 22

The Poor Employment Act (1817)

Answer 22

Passed for ‘undeserving poor.’
Encouraged employment of able-bodied paupers on public works (road building) from public money.

Question 23

Reasons for the Poor Employment Act (1817)

Answer 23

‘Self-help’ mentality hated indolence and wanted people to always be pushed.
‘Culture of dependence’ of pauperism made people indolent.

Question 24

Thomas Malthus

Answer 24

Developed the ‘Malthusian catastrophe’ in a 1798 academic essay
Predicted populations would always outstrip food supply
Believed natural events (war, famine, revolution) would prevent the catastrophe
Argued poor relief was a barrier to this natural process
Held moralistic views that some poverty was necessary for the general good of society

Question 25

Joseph Townsend

Answer 25

Wrote ‘Dissertation on the Poor Laws’ in 1786
Believed poor relief promoted the worst characteristics in society
Viewed paupers as lazy and living off the generosity and success of others

Question 26

Different Views on Poor Relief

Answer 26

Humanitarians and Tories: maintain current system
Some: wanted minor changes due to spiralling costs
Whigs: wanted radical transformation as current provisions were ineffective and outdated

Question 27

Whig Beliefs on Poor Relief

Answer 27

Adopted David Ricardo’s ‘wage fund theory’
Believed taking money from employers to the poor rate undermined the economy
Believed pauperism was the result of idleness

Question 28

Cost of Relief

Answer 28

Twin cost: real expenditure going out each week and cost to business in the long term
Encroached on free trade ideology

Question 29

Thomas Paine

Answer 29

Believed the government should plan for the welfare of its people
Believed excessive poverty was from the failure of government
Proposed policy of pension pre-vision for over 50s and child benefits for families in poverty

Question 30

What did Thomas Malthus predict in his 1798 essay?

Answer 30

He predicted that populations would always outstrip food supply, but that natural events such as war, famine, and revolution would prevent the ‘Malthusian catastrophe.’

Question 31

What was Joseph Townsend’s view on poor relief?

Answer 31

He believed that poor relief promoted the worst characteristics in society and didn’t encourage action. He viewed paupers as lazy and living off the generosity and success of others.

Question 32

What did industrialisation promote regarding paupers?

Answer 32

Industrialisation promoted the idea that paupers were lazy and living off the success of others.

Question 33

Robert Owen

Answer 33

Believed people would help themselves if given the chance
Built a model community in New Lanark for self-improvement
Advocated for co-operative practices to help alleviate poverty
His success at New Lanark was ignored by the government

Question 34

Jeremy Bentham

Answer 34

Philosopher who proposed utilitarianism
Believed in the “greatest pleasure for the greatest number”
Proposed a National Charity Company to oversee the country’s poor
Workhouses designed under a “panopticon model” where inmates would work to pay for their maintenance and provide profit for shareholders
People motivated by “pleasure” and “pain”

Question 35

Utilitarianism

Answer 35

Utilitarianism was pervasive amongst the whole British population
Based on the “happiness principle”
Helping provide new infrastructures and services would improve society
Bentham’s idea for a centralised National Charity Company was taken up after 1834
Bentham’s “happiness principle” deterred paupers and gave intellectual strength to the Royal Commission

Question 36

Why was the parish-based system of charity unsustainable by 1833?

Answer 36

Due to the burden it placed on ratepayers (often influential figures with the right to vote, influencing elections), and their vocal opposition (especially after Ricardo’s ‘wage fund theory’ which appealed to the industrial MC).

Question 37

What impact did economic prosperity have on poor relief in the 1820s?

Answer 37

It resulted in less being spent on poor relief (decreased almost by ⅓ after 1824 compared to 1819-1823), but increasing low-paid workers (particularly in agricultural areas, also in densely-populated industrial areas) still made it costly

Question 38

How did the economic market control people in the industrial North?

Answer 38

Good trade meant employment, declining trade meant unemployment, and most couldn’t afford to pay for a pension fund for tough times. In agricultural areas (due to machines) there were even fewer employment opportunities.

Question 39

Who wrote the ‘wage fund theory’ that appealed to the industrial MC?

Answer 39

Ricardo

Question 40

What were the consequences of the burden placed on ratepayers by the parish-based system of charity?

Answer 40

The burden was unsustainable, and ratepayers became vocal in their opposition to it, particularly influential figures with the right to vote who could influence elections.

Question 41

Which areas had fewer employment opportunities due to machines

Answer 41

Agricultural areas.

Question 42

What was the main aim of the Poor Law Amendment Act (1834)?

Answer 42

To take a more punitive approach to relief (reflecting the growing moralistic attitude in society - poverty was a social evil) by making relief more severe and turning parishes into unions to reduce the cost of the poor law.

Question 43

What were the two main aims of the Poor Law Amendment Act (1834)?

Answer 43

To make relief more severe and to turn parishes into unions to reduce the cost of the poor law.

Question 44

What was the name of the central authority set up to oversee legislation of the Poor Law Amendment Act?

Answer 44

The Poor Law Commission

Question 45

What was the concept of “less eligibility” in the Poor Law Amendment Act?

Answer 45

To make workhouse conditions so bad that only the utterly destitute would apply for them.

Question 46

What did the Poor Law Amendment Act discourage for the able-bodied poor?

Answer 46

Outdoor relief.

Question 47

Who were the Poor Law Commission made up of?

Answer 47

Three men, including Edwin Chadwick who was the commission’s secretary and a disciple of Jeremy Bentham.

Question 48

Why did the Whig government want to appease the interests of the industrial MC?

Answer 48

To win their votes.

Question 49

What did “poorhouses” become known as after the Poor Law Amendment Act was passed?

Answer 49

Workhouses.

Question 50

Did the Poor Law Amendment Act provide specific guidelines for how to adopt the suggestions?

Answer 50

No, it was left to the Poor Law Commission to decide

Question 51

The New Poor Law (1834)

Answer 51

Workhouses became the main form of poor relief, not outdoor relief
Principle of ‘less eligibility’ made conditions in workhouses intentionally unpleasant to deter all but the most needy from applying
15000 parishes were grouped into 600 unions, and guardians of the Poor Law had to fund building of new workhouses through the Poor Rate
Workhouses had basic living conditions, including 10 hour days, hard labour, and meagre diets, and inmates were depersonalized and separated by gender and family
The ‘less eligibility’ principle did not work due to poor wages and economic fluctuations

Question 52

Outdoor relief

Answer 52

Definition: A form of poor relief in which aid was given to those in need outside of workhouses or other institutions, often in the form of money, food, or clothing.
Importance: Outdoor relief was less expensive than indoor relief (i.e., workhouses), so many parishes continued to offer it despite the introduction of the New Poor Law. Additionally, many farmers in agricultural areas preferred to offer outdoor relief as it allowed them to employ people at a lower cost.

Question 53

Guardians of the Poor Law

Answer 53

Definition: Locally appointed officials responsible for implementing the provisions of the Poor Law, including overseeing the distribution of poor relief.
Importance: The guardians had the power to decide who would receive poor relief and in what form. While the New Poor Law aimed to centralize the administration of poor relief by grouping parishes into unions and creating larger workhouses, the guardians still had significant control over the implementation of the law at the local level.

Question 54

Indoor relief

Answer 54

Definition: A form of poor relief in which aid was given to those in need through institutional care, such as workhouses.
Importance: The New Poor Law made indoor relief (i.e., workhouses) the primary form of poor relief, but many parishes continued to offer outdoor relief due to the high cost of maintaining workhouses. In agricultural areas, farmers were also reluctant to offer indoor relief as it was more expensive and they preferred to employ people at a lower cost through outdoor relief.

Question 55

The Gilbert Act (1782) and the New Poor Law (1834)

Answer 55

The Gilbert Act changed admissions to poorhouses, and the New Poor Law made workhouses the main part of poor relief (not outdoor relief).

Question 56

Less eligibility

Answer 56

The principle that conditions in workhouses should be so bad as to be less eligible than the lowest paid labourer outside of the workhouse.

Question 57

Deserving’ and ‘undeserving’ poor

Answer 57

The idea that some people were deserving of help while others were not, based on their level of morality, work ethic, and other factors.

Question 58

Opposition to workhouses

Answer 58

Workhouses were expensive to build and maintain, and many local officials preferred to provide outdoor relief instead.

Question 59

Ideology vs. pragmatism

Answer 59

The New Poor Law was driven by ideology rather than financial pragmatism, ignoring criticism of the cost of large-scale workhouse infrastructure.

Question 60

Opposition to the New Poor Law

Answer 60

The Tories objected to the bill out of partisanship and fear of increased government intervention. William Cobbett and others believed it made claimants seem like criminals and abandoned the mutualistic relationship between the rich and poor.

Question 61

Riots against the New Poor Law

Answer 61

Riots broke out in response to the removal of outdoor relief, with notable riots occurring in East Anglia in 1835 and the Ampthill parish union in May of that year.

Question 62

‘Money or blood’ riots

Answer 62

Riots that occurred in East Kent, Suffolk, and other areas, where mobs attacked the workhouses.

Question 63

Uncoordinated riots in the South

Answer 63

Riots that only occurred in certain places in the South, unlike the North where the riots were widespread and organised.

Question 64

Poor Law implementation in the South

Answer 64

The Poor Law was implemented well in the South by 1836, as the riots were unorganised and uncoordinated, and each area had a slightly different system to defend.

Question 65

Poor Law implementation in the North

Answer 65

The Poor Law implementation in the North was met with organised opposition. The problems encountered in the North were different from those of the agricultural South.

Question 66

Tory radical reformers

Answer 66

Richard Oastler and MP Michael Sadler were politicians who got involved in the anti-Poor Law movement up North, giving it more credibility in 1839.

Question 67

Workhouse solution not suitable for the North

Answer 67

The workhouse solution didn’t fit the cyclical pattern of unemployment in the North, where brief periods of mass unemployment would eventually recover through the system of outdoor relief.

Question 68

Anti-Poor Law movement in Yorkshire and Lancashire

Answer 68

The anti-Poor Law movement in Yorkshire and Lancashire was popular through public speeches and printed articles, playing on the emotions of the population.

Question 69

‘Book of Murder’

Answer 69

A false book that claimed the authorities wanted to kill infants to reduce the cost of poor relief. It was used to fuel the anti-Poor Law movement in the North.

Question 70

1837 trade depression

Answer 70

A trade depression that occurred in 1837, causing mass unemployment and contributing to the aggressive reaction of the working class against the Poor Law.

Question 71

Organised opposition in the North

Answer 71

The Poor Law implementation in the North was met with organised opposition, which saw the Law as irrelevant to their problems.

Question 72

Poor Law Amendment Act (1834)

Answer 72

An act of Parliament that aimed to reform the poor relief system in England and Wales by centralizing and standardizing the administration of poor relief, and by discouraging the provision of poor relief outside of workhouses.

Question 73

Opposition to the Poor Law

Answer 73

The Poor Law Amendment Act was met with opposition from different groups including the Tories, William Cobbett, and the poor themselves. The Tories objected to the bill out of partisanship, while William Cobbett believed the Act made claimants seem like criminals. The poor rioted against the Law due to the removal of outdoor relief.

Question 74

Northern resistance to the Poor Law

Answer 74

In the North, the Poor Law was met with strong resistance due to the economic prospects of the working class and the added intervention in local authorities for the middle class. The working class believed their methods of relief were effective and humane, while the middle class were fearful of increased government intervention.

Question 75

Andover workhouse

Answer 75

A workhouse built in 1836 and run under Colin McDougal, a former sergeant-major in the military. McDougal and his wife ran the workhouse like a prison camp, deliberately limiting the diet to reduce expenditure.

Question 76

Low food costs in Andover

Answer 76

The McDougal couple kept food costs low to please the Board of Guardians as the Poor Rate was low.

Question 77

Starvation in Andover

Answer 77

Inmates at the Andover workhouse were often on the brink of starvation and had to eat meat left on bones they had to crush or suck the marrow from inside bones. Fights would break out over meaty bones

Question 78

Hugh Mundy

Answer 78

A local Poor Law Guardian who went to MP Thomas Wakely in August 1845 about the appalling conditions at the Andover workhouse.

Question 79

Thomas Wakely

Answer 79

An MP who was approached by Hugh Mundy about the appalling conditions at the Andover workhouse. He took the matter to the home secretary, and a full investigation was pursued by Henry Parker, assistant Poor Law Commissioner.

Question 79

Thomas Wakely

Answer 79

An MP who was approached by Hugh Mundy about the appalling conditions at the Andover workhouse. He took the matter to the home secretary, and a full investigation was pursued by Henry Parker, assistant Poor Law Commissioner.

Question 80

Public outcry in response to Andover

Answer 80

There was a public outcry when the appalling conditions at the Andover workhouse were revealed. The Poor Law Commission was attacked by the public, press, and parliament, and the editor of ‘The Times’ covered the scandal heavily.

Question 81

What was the ‘Poor Law Board’?

Answer 81

The government agency that replaced the Commission in 1846, bringing poor relief under direct government control.

Question 82

How did the Andover scandal affect poor relief?

Answer 82

While it softened the harsh treatment of “lazy” paupers, it did not end the belief that people should fend for themselves, and workhouses remained central to poor relief.

Question 83

What happened to the relationship between the industrial middle class (MC) and working class (WC) after the 1832 Reform Act?

Answer 83

The MC lost touch with the WC, as they now had the vote and were in the upper echelon of society. Social responsibility developed as a concern for both WC and MC interests.

Question 84

What did Henry Mayhew’s ‘London Labour and the London Poor’ argue in 1849?

Answer 84

That pauperism was caused by poor wages, which left people unable to protect themselves in a fluctuating economy, challenging the belief that idleness caused poverty.

Question 85

Did conditions in workhouses improve over time?

Answer 85

Yes, but scandals such as the Huddersfield Scandal in 1848 (where people shared lice-ridden beds with dead bodies) showed that there was still much room for improvement.

Question 86

What was the Workhouse Visiting Society and what did it do?

Answer 86

It was an organization that made unofficial checks on workhouses starting in 1858, collecting information to push for change in terms of good food distribution and humane treatment.

Question 87

What motivated many MC groups to help the less fortunate in the mid-19th century?

Answer 87

Fears of social instability, as well as a well-meaning attitude rooted in strong Christian charity. They invested in the needs of those in poverty and supplemented the provisions of the Poor Law Board to alleviate their problems.

Question 88

What led to the development of philanthropic enterprises in the mid-19th century?

Answer 88

Workhouses attempted to remove outdoor relief, leading to the development of philanthropic enterprises. However, outdoor relief continued due to local Guardians and remained the most common form of relief nationally.

Question 89

How did attitudes towards pauperism change in the 1850s?

Answer 89

There was a more proactive outlook towards pauperism, focused on addressing the root causes of poverty rather than punishing paupers.

Question 90

How did charity work allow affluent women to participate in public affairs in the mid-19th century?

Answer 90

Despite restrictive gender roles, charity work provided a way for affluent women to participate in public affairs and promote their own campaign for recognition.

Question 91

Who was Angela Burdett-Coutts, and what philanthropic work did she do in the mid-19th century?

Answer 91

Angela Burdett-Coutts was the richest woman in Britain after 1837 and was particularly interested in helping pauper children, finding them employment in the military. She co-founded Urania College in 1847 with Charles Dickens to help poor women who had turned to prostitution. She also funded education projects for Britain’s poorest to give them practical skills, and had a well-meaning attitude towards those in poverty.

Question 92

Why did many charities in the mid-19th century collect information about the lives of the poor?

Answer 92

Many charities, such as the Workhouse Visiting Society, collected information about the lives of the poor in order to create a more tailored relief system focused on the root causes of poverty rather than blaming the poor themselves. The Visiting Society discovered that most of the people in the poorhouses were elderly and young

Question 93

What did the investigation by ‘The Lancet’ in 1865 reveal about medical care in London workhouses, and what was the outcome?

Answer 93

The investigation by ‘The Lancet’ revealed poor medical care in London workhouses, leading to the Metropolitan Poor Act 1867. This act demanded separate medical facilities for sick paupers and the creation of a Metropolitan Asylum Board to care for them. This led to specialised care for sick paupers.

Question 94

How did charities investigating pauperism involve the poor in the mid-19th century?

Answer 94

Charities investigating pauperism involved the poor by talking with them about their experiences, and this helped in tailoring relief systems to the root causes of poverty.

Question 95

What was the mid-Victorian self-help mentality, and how did it relate to the formation of the Charity Organisation Society in 1869?

Answer 95

The mid-Victorian self-help mentality was relevant to the poor because it was promoted by the MC themselves who climbed the social ladder. In 1869, the Charity Organisation Society formed to distinguish between the ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’ poor and recommend ways to get the ‘deserving’ back on their feet. They rejected excessive assistance because self-help didn’t want to make people dependent, but independent. They used scientific methods such as case-based interviews with paupers to ensure assistance was given only in genuine cases.

Question 96

Thomas Carlyle

Answer 96

A prominent author and thinker of the Victorian period who published ‘Past and Present’ in 1843, criticizing the growing class divide and the treatment of the poor in workhouses, which he called ‘Poor Law Prisons’. His works were highly influential and read by many during the period.

Question 97

London Labour and London Poor

Answer 97

A 4-volume work published in 1851 by Henry Mayhew, which investigated the lives of paupers using empiricism, including interviews and research. Mayhew challenged the Victorian belief that poverty was caused by idleness, weakness of character, and alcoholism, instead attributing it to insufficient wages. His work encouraged charity and investigations into poverty.

Question 98

‘Past and Present’

Answer 98

A book published by Thomas Carlyle in 1843, which criticized the growing class divide and the treatment of the poor in workhouses. Carlyle argued that the spiritual growth of the country was being hindered by the mistreatment of the poor.

Question 99

Henry Mayhew

Answer 99

A writer and social researcher who produced ‘London Labour and London Poor’, a 4-volume work that challenged the Victorian belief that poverty was caused by idleness, weakness of character, and alcoholism. Mayhew used empiricism, including interviews and research, to prove that poverty was caused by insufficient wages.

Question 100

Charles Dickens

Answer 100

A British author who experienced poverty firsthand when his parents were sent to workhouses. He used his writing to give a voice to the poorest in society and expose the harsh realities of their lives.

Question 101

Oliver Twist

Answer 101

A novel published by Charles Dickens in 1839, which popularized the image of the workhouse as a place of despair and drudgery where charity was actually a punishment. The novel furthered the destitution of the poor and was widely read by the public.

Question 102

Serial Novels

Answer 102

A type of novel popularized by Charles Dickens, which were published in installments, typically costing a shilling per month. This made them accessible to a wider audience, including the poor.

Question 103

Andover/Huddersfield Scandals

Answer 103

A series of scandals in the 1840s, where it was discovered that workhouse inmates were being mistreated and abused. These scandals gave credibility to Dickens’ fiction and helped to raise awareness of the poor’s plight.

Question 104

Elizabeth Gaskell

Answer 104

A British author who wrote novels such as ‘Mary Barton’ and ‘North and South’ which exposed the difficult lives of the working classes in the industrial city of Manchester. Her work was popular for its realistic portrayal of the poorer classes.

Question 105

Samuel Smiles

Answer 105

A social reformer who published ‘Self Help’ in 1859, which fundamentally changed attitudes towards poor relief. He suggested that anyone could improve themselves if given the means, and this idea was well-received by the industrial middle classes.