Paupers & Pauperism Flashcards
What was the Poor Law?
Passed 1601
Parishes were to raise money and distribute it to the poor.
To receive poor relief, a person has to return to where they were born.
Officials decided how much relief was given. - They could abuse the system.
Increasingly mobile population meant it was harder to determine which parish they were from.
Didn’t work when the parish was under pressure in times of crisis (crop failure etc.)
What was the 1662 Settlement Act?
Changed the terms of the parish responsible for poor relief. It was were a person was born, married, served an apprenticeship or inherited property.
Strangers could be removed from parishes after 40 days if they weren’t working.
Prevented people from finding work outside their parish.
Rich would hire from outside their parish so they could be sent away when they became not needed.
What was the 1697 Settlement Act?
Strangers could be barred from entering a parish without a settlement certificate which proved which parish they were from and administered their relief.
More comprehensive system.
People could combat removal whilst searching for work.
What was the Removal Act?
Passed 1795
Prevented the removal of strangers until they applied for poor relief.
Allowed people to search for work easier.
More protection against corruption
What was the Speenhamland System?
Type of outdoor poor relief.
Labourers’ income supplemented to sustenance level - decided based on the size of the family and price of bread.
Landowner’s would destroy houses and hire outside the parish to avoid paying tax to help the poor.
People would have lots of children so they were entitled to more money.
Wasn’t nationalised - common in the south.
What was the Roundsman System?
Outdoor relief
Paupers sent to work with farmers and would be paid from the poor rate.
Didn’t help impotent poor.
Landowners begrudged paying poor rate.
Reliant on the weather, no work in winter.
Employer didn’t always pay their part of the wagr so it fell to the parish.
What was the Labour Rate?
Outdoor relief.
Employer’s could either pay the workers or the poor rate.
Less pressure on the parish.
Allowed for corruption.
Fewer paying into the poor relief so less money is available.
Describe poorhouses, workhouses and Houses of Correction.
Poorhouse - looked after the impotent poor - often made by churches out of alms.
Workhouse - People would work and lived their from 1834.
House of Correction - Idle poor sent as a punishment.
All these cost the parish and many couldn’t afford them. Some parishes joined together to male them
What was Gilbert’s Act?
Passed 1782.
Poor law unions created if 2/3 of major lanfowners agreed - the unions would build and maintain workhoysrs.
Paid guardians replaced overseers.
Gilbert Union Workhouses only for the impotent poor.
Permissive - Gilbert tried to make it mandatory in 1786 but failed, did make it so reports had to be published to provide info.
What were the Sturges-Bourne Acts?
Passed 1818 & 1819
1818 - Elections for members of select vestries. Vestries administered poor laws. The voting system meant major landowners had up to 6x the influence of smaller ones.
1819 - Clergymen added to the vestry. They decided who was deserving and undeserving.
Destitution no longer enough for relief. If 2 or more JPs disagreed with the clergyman the decision could be overturned.
How did the French Revolution impact economics?
People thought rebellion would be fun so didn’t work.
War with France meant that corn couldn’t be imported helping British farmers. After the war 1815 corn laws passed to protect farmer and prevent foreign corn. This led to outdoor relief struggling and poor relief rising to £8million.
Government became more oppressive. Habeus Corpus suspended in 1817.
Sturges-Bourne Acts tried to reduce poor relief spending but only caused localised change.
What were the Swing Riots?
1830s.
Rural poor destroy farming equipment.
Wanted higher wages and removal of machinery.
In Headley & Selbourne (Hampshire) paupers gave notice that they were to pull down a workhouse so no pauper was injured.
Petitions and threats signed by Captain Swing.
Rioters weren’t revolutionary or radical.
Created a political climate that reform was urgent.
Problems with Poor Relief.
Costs too high.
People would crowd into parishes to claim if the parish offered better support - parish couldn’t afford it.
Poor rates increased so the rich thought the poor were becoming increasingly idle.
Who was Thomas Malthus?
Thought the poor took advantage of poor relief - they were having too many children and there weren’t enough resources for them.
Wanted to abolish the poor law to increase wages.
He didn’t influence change directly but government did try to reduce costs.
Who was David Ricardo?
Wanted to reduce spending on poor relief, had the idea that wages and relief should be paid from the same fund, so if too many people claimed relief wages would decrease discouraging paupers from claiming relieg.
Had no real influence on reform.
