(Part 2: Life In Elizabethan Times) The Poor

Question 1

Reasons for poverty

Answer 1

1. Actions of previous monarchs
   • Henry VII limited the right of nobles to hold private armies, fearing they might be a threat to his throne. This left many soldiers without work.
   • The Reformation under Henry VIII led to the closure of the monasteries. Monks, nuns and other Church employees were left with nowhere to live or work.
   • The closure of the monasteries also left the sick and poor with no one to care for them.
   • Economic problems under Henry VIll and Edward VI led to the collapse of the cloth trade and the loss of many jobs.
2. Changes in agriculture
   • Bad harvests between 1594 and
   1598 led to food shortages and starvation in parts of England. The food shortage also increased prices - which led to inflation.
   • Increasing numbers of landlords began to keep sheep on their land rather than grow crops.
   This system, known as enclosure, meant that fewer workers were needed.
   • Many unemployed farm workers headed to towns and cities in search of employment.
   There were not enough jobs to go around.
3. Population increase
   • During Elizabeth’s reign, England’s population went from 2.8 million to 4 million.
   • A shortage of places to live gave power to landlords who increased rents (rack renting).
4. Flu outbreak
   • A terrible outbreak of flu in 1556 killed 200,000 people, including many farm workers.

Question 2

Explain the attitudes and responses to poverty

Answer 2

1. The deserving poor
   • The ‘Great Chain of Being’ made it clear to many nobles that they were simply ‘better’ than the poor.
   •Many believed it was their duty to help those below them in society.
   • They recognised that many paupers could not help their situation and were not to blame for their poverty.
   • Charities for the poor grew and almshouses were established.
2. The undeserving poor
   • Some paupers were seen as undeserving: untrustworthy beggars who had no interest in honest work.
   • Warning Against Vagabonds by Thomas Harman, published in 1567, encouraged the view that many poor people were merely confidence tricksters or criminals. Others were seen as being idle or lazy.

Question 3

Explain vagabonds

Answer 3

The vagabonds described by Harman included many scammers and confidence tricksters:
• The Counterfeit Crank bit soap so that he frothed at the mouth. People would feel sympathy and give him money.
• Baretop Trickster women would trick men into following them by removing clothing. The men would then be beaten and robbed by her accomplices.
• The Clapper Dudgeon would cut himself and tie dirty bandages around the wounds to gain sympathy.
• Tom O’Bedlam would pretend to be mad. He might stick a chicken’s head in his ear or bark like a dog.

Question 4

Explain the Government action: the Poor Law of 1601

Answer 4

In 1601, the first ever Poor Law was introduced. It stated that:
• The wealthy should be taxed to pay for the care of the sick and vulnerable.
• Fit and healthy paupers should be given work.
• Those who refused to work were still dealt with harshly: they could be whipped or placed in a House of Correction.
The poor were categorised into three groups:
1. The helpless poor (the sick and old): given food and accommodation.
2. The able-bodied poor (those considered fit): had to work in exchange for food.
3. The idle poor: punished and sent to a House of Correction.

Question 5

How effective was the Poor Law?

Answer 5

1. Although the 1601 law did make a difference to some, it was not properly enforced in many areas.
2. Begging seemed to decrease, but this may have been due to the threat of the House of Correction rather than the extra help available.
3. Some historians argue that the law was unsuccessful because it made each area responsible for its own paupers.
4. Some were simply sent from one place to another without receiving any help.

Question 6

Give examples of earlier attempts to deal with poverty

Answer 6

Monarchs before Elizabeth, including Henry VIlland Edward VI, passed laws that tried to deal with poverty, but the problem
got worse.
1. From 1495:
• Beggars were punished in the stocks or sent back to their home towns.
2. From 1531:
• Beggars were publicly whipped.
• Those caught a second time would have a hole burned in their ear.
• A third offence would mean they were hanged.
Look
•These laws remained in place for most of Elizabeth’s reign.
• The 1576 ‘Act for setting the poor on work’ or the ‘Act for the relief of the Poor’ placed the responsibility on local authorities.