Poor Law - 3.5

Question 1

what time period does 3.5 cover?

Answer 1

1847-1880

Question 2

chartist press

Answer 2

• the most prominent chartist newspaper was the northern star owned y Fergus O’Connor who advocated the use of physical force
• published in Leeds
• chartists also publicised their ideas in smaller, more provincial newspapers

Question 3

why was the Andover workhouse used as a model of post 1834 poor law administration?

Answer 3

• praised In the Poor Law commissions annual reports
• union had abolished all outdoor relief and had the strictest regulations (dietary and regime)
• when McDougal and his wife became matron and master in 1837 they were so trusted that inspections became infrequent

Question 4

how did the McDougal’s run the Andover Workhouse?

Answer 4

• ran it like a penal colony keeping expenditure and rations to a minimum
• food was to be eaten with fingers and if a man conversed with his wife he was given a spell in the refectory cell
• work was tedious and the physical nature emphasised
  (e. g. crushing bones to turn them into fertiliser)
• rumours started about paupers trying to gnaw these bones and so PLC order Parker to investigate

Question 5

how did the poor Lae commissioners try to extricate themselves from these rumours?

Answer 5

• sacked McDougal from his post as master
• blamed Parker for not discovering this sooner even though they conveniently forgot that they had reduced the number of assistant commissioners from 21 to 9 making it next to impossible
• sacked Parker from post of assistant commissioner
• issued an order forbidding bone crushing

Question 6

how did Parker response?

Answer 6

• wrote a long pamphlet with the support of Chadwick, defending himself
• precipitated an enquiry by a select committee of the house of commons which was extremely critical of the poor law commission and that a shake up was likely

Question 7

what were the problems with the poor law commission?

Answer 7

• Andover workhouse scandal revealed the worst abuses of the workhouse system and the lack of willingness to correct these issues
• the way in which the commission pilloried the assistant commissioners showed just how poor treatment was in problematic situations

Question 8

when was the poor law board set up?

Answer 8

1847

Question 9

what did the poor law board aim to do?

Answer 9

• aimed to overhaul the weaknesses of the poor law commission but also to increase government involvement
• therefore this is why several of the cabinet ministers who sat on the board were ex officio (president was an MP)
• this mean those responsible for pool law administration were also answerable to parliament and public opinion
• yet the switch from autonomy to parliamentary control didn’t signal a break from the original administrators of the poor law amendment act
• e.g. George Nicholls was appointed permanent secretary and numbers increased to 13 meaning many assistant commissioners stayed on

Question 10

what were the successes of the Poor Law Board in regard to improving the financial situation?

Answer 10

• 1865 union changeability act placed financial burden of relief on the union as a whole. Each parish contributed to a common fund and its contribution was based upon the rateable value of properties in the parish not the number of paupers of whom that parish was responsible for
• this meant riches parishes subsidised poorer ones and those owning larger properties paid higher rates than those in more modest dwellings
• Poor Law Loans Act of 1869 allowed guardians to borrow money from the public works commission for up to 30 years tush’s allowing them to contemplate upgrading facilities without adding too much to the levied poor rate

Question 11

failures of the poor law board in regard to improving the financial situation?

Answer 11

• union changeability act failed to create a uniform rating system even if situation were identical in different uk region. this made the system unpopular and difficult to impose
• most guardians were middle class and committed to keep rates as low as possible. these factors combined to lead to some poor law unions to claim they couldn’t afford to facilitate certain requirements like separate accommodation

Question 12

how did the financial system change since 1834?

Answer 12

• previously parishes had been grouped but each parish within the union had to pay for the maintenance of its own paupers
• this meant that parish with the most paupers had to levy the highest poor rates when they were usually the least able to afford them and hence couldn’t meet their commitments

Question 13

successes of the poor law board in changing the treatment of paupers (children)

Answer 13

• Poor Law School Act of 1848 allowed poor law unions to combine to provide district schools where pauper children were educated in buildings often
• in the 1850s some boards of guardians abandoned district schools in favour of smaller on site schools were boys where boys were taught a trade and girls learned domestic skills
• in the 1860s, some boards of guardians began to experiment with boarding pauper children with working class families
• The Forster’s education act of 1870 set up board schools where there was no church provisions and guardians were encouraged to send their pauper children to these enabling them to mix with children outside the workhouse

Question 14

how did attitudes change towards changing the treatment of pauper children?

Answer 14

• this universal view that pauper children ought to be given special needs was around even before 1834
• idea that it would help to ensure children didn’t return to the workhouse as adults
• after 1834, children under the age of 16 made up fairly consistently 1/3 of paupers in workhouses
• despite more action being taken this view had pre-existed and hence attitudes didn’t change much

Question 15

successes of the Poor Law Board in changing the treatment of paupers (health and illness)

Answer 15

-in the 1850s, several unions set up public dispensaries to give paupers medicine. from 1852, a person who couldn’t pay for medical treatment was automatically prescribed relief.
this was a significant improvement since 1834 when sick paupers were often treated in their homes by medical officers
-pauper hospitals provided by the board were often the only places where the poor could get medical help as Hardy agreed they were poor in 1866
-The metropolitan Poor Act of 1867 also provided specialist mental hospitals in London meaning the board was beginning to provide a national state funded system of medical care and the connections between medicine and less eligibility were beginning to break

Question 16

failures of the poor law board in changing the treatment of paupers (health and illness)

Answer 16

-despite improvements in medical care and assistance offered to paupers, several agree that the development in poor Lae medical services was because of a response to public opinion not a conscious and specific effort

Question 17

how did the Poor Law Board change the treatment of paupers in regard to health and illness?

Answer 17

• illness of the main breadwinner of a family was a major cause of poverty
• the poor law amendment act had employed medical officers but they were invariably poorly paid and were seen as being part of the disciplinary structure of the workhouse.
• previously spending had been kept to a minimum

Question 18

failures of Poor Law Board achieving a balance between indoor and outdoor relief

Answer 18

• 1852 Poor Law Board made an attempt to incarcerate all the able bodied paupers in workhouses by issuing a general order forbidding outdoor relief to the able-bodied. It failed as many guardians continued to give relief as it was often cheaper due to rising poor rates
• in the 1860s when cotton crops failed leaving thousands of operatives in need of short term relief and this borrowing of money was allowed through 1963 Public Works Act

Question 19

why was it difficult for the poor law board to achieve a balance between indoor and outdoor relief?

Answer 19

• irregular and infrequent visits from assistant commissioners meant local variations weren’t possible but became the norm
• by 1846 there were approximately 1,300,000 paupers of which only 199,000 were claiming relief inside union workhouses

Question 20

why was there the dissolution of the poor law board?

Answer 20

• by the 1870s the government were becoming more and more concerned with the welfare of the people
• new public health legislation relied on local authorities so it made sense that the poor law was also in the hands of local government
• replaced by the Local Government Board in 1871

Question 21

what was the Parliamentary Reform Act of 1867?

Answer 21

• extended the voting qualification to include householders and doubled the electorate from 1-2 million
• the respectable working class could now vote

Question 22

what was the impact of the parliamentary Reform Act of 1867 on poor law policy?

Answer 22

• increased pressure from radicals to democratise the election of guardians as the poor law franchise had favoured well-to-do ratepayers by enabling plural voting
• increasing the franchise to include the better off working class meant government became increasingly aware of the welfare of people

Question 23

how did the local government board aim to reduce the number of paupers claiming relief?

Answer 23

• issued a circular condoning outdoor relief as it reduced self-sufficiency
• supported deterring claims from able bodied paupers
• authorised boards of guardians to help groups of paupers migrate
• however despite the radio of outdoor to indoor relief changing, the greatest number of paupers were always relieved outside workhouses

Question 24

why was the problem of pauperism increased?

Answer 24

• problems of obtaining relief was coupled with the growing dread of a workhouse which was reinforced by the stigma associated with pauperism
• an alternative were charities yet these were often an expression of interest for those who set them up and not necessarily directed to the needs of the pauper
• during this period relief moved away to paupers proactively seeking it on their own

Question 25

what are friendly societies

Answer 25

groups of friends or neighbours who work together to provide for one another in times of need

Question 26

co-operative societies

Answer 26

groups of people who work together in their businesses

Question 27

what was the COS?

Answer 27

• founded in 1869 with the practical aim of co-ordinating the work of many private charities, establishing a clear division between the work of local poor law authorities and charities, ensure only the deserving were in receipt of charitable relief
• powerful organisation supported by influential people such as armed forces and house of commons using their extensive influence to promulgate key aims above, often working in an autonomous way

Question 28

successes of COS?

Answer 28

• emphasised the success to target those who deserved relief
• by 1880, the COS had established procedures to collect information in a systematic way enabling comparisons. this formed the basis of later social work and training
• relief had to be both moral and material
• was intended to be temporary to make paupers more self sufficient

Question 29

failures of COS?

Answer 29

• wasn’t a national organisation meaning there was little effort to coordinate the work different provincial charities. these localised charities also failed to recruit sufficient volunteers to raise enough funds
• rigorous investigative methods were resented by the poor and became alienated from the COS which they saw as overbearing
• boards of guardians frequently strained relationships with their local COS branches as guardians saw them as interfering in the ways they chose to administer the poor law
• temporary so in terms of long term relief was limited

Question 30

what did friendly societies involve and the successes of it?

Answer 30

• for a weekly subscription members were entitled to payment in times of sickness, death and unemployment
• this helped to protect paupers from the uncertainties of the industrial revolution, a mobile pop and tasking occupations
• by 1847 had become an organisation with central bodies that individual societies could affiliate meaning risk was widespread over several branches and benefits could be provided for a larger geographical region
• by 1877, British membership topped 2.7 million
• gave promise of security aside from process, procedure and shame of pauperism. small acts of kindness also gave companionship on a regular basis

Question 31

failures of friendly societies

Answer 31

• many charged an entry fee and expected a weekly contribution to funds, beyond the means of many (if there was a missed payment many also fell into debt)
• some refused membership to people who had a history of mental illness, over 40 or in a dangerous occupation
• some fully paid members weren’t always assured of benefits as some badly managed and collapsed

Question 32

what were burial societies

Answer 32

• those who couldn’t afford friendly societies turned to burial societies which offered benefits for death
• it was the fear of pauperism that drove many to these organisations due to fear of not going to heaven
• payment could be as little as 1d a week making it more accessible for everyone
• started as local affairs but soon became dominated by larger enterprises

Question 33

what were the successes of trade unions?

Answer 33

• establishment of industrialisation meant many workers started to combine to negotiate for better working conditions and higher pay
• these small unions could amalgamate together to form larger establishments
• subscriptions involved a range of benefits such as pensions and sick benefits
• yet this limited membership to the skilled workers and paupers

Question 34

what were the successes of co-operatives?

Answer 34

• managed by working people for themselves who earned a dividend on each purpose
• by 1880 there were close to 1 million co-op shareholders
• the quarterly payment was most frequently used to pay rent yet those who could afford it left their dividends with the co-op where it accumulated interest
• gave working class families the ability to plan their finances

Question 35

failures of co-operatives?

Answer 35

• wouldn’t offer credit, everything had to be paid in cash at the time of purchase.
• money out being based on the amount of people spent meant there was also a clear ratio whereby poorer people who had less spent less so got less
• they were in competition with other retail outlets so the movement wasn’t for the feckless

Question 36

what are some positives of upper class philanthropy?

Answer 36

• some argue people had genuine concerns and moral reasoning making extensions an extension of their kindness
• many also saw philanthropy as something which brought the working and middle class together creating a consensus within which they could unite

Question 37

what are some negatives of upper class philanthropy?

Answer 37

• many say it was a method of social control whereby the middle class could maintain their wealth and power imposing their own ideas and values onto the WC
• many saw the variety of multiple systems as a set back to the national programme of state welfare
• some say it helped the mc more as a significant percentage of the bottom classes were barely helped

Question 38

who was Samuel smiles and his background life?

Answer 38

• became leader of the Leeds times in 1853
• strong supporter of the co-operative movement in Leeds
• in 1840 became secretary to the Leeds parliamentary reform association which supported the six points of the people’s charter
• moved away from chartist movement when they became increasingly militant

Question 39

what were smiles views on self help?

Answer 39

• disappointed with the lack of parliamentary reform and believing it wouldn’t be enough to lift poverty and give pauper’s a voice, he turned to writing
• he believed individual reform was necessary alongside parliamentary reform
• people had to change their own attitudes and actions

Question 40

what actions did smiles take through writing?

Answer 40

• published ‘self help’ in 1859 saying everyone could change their own position and only the genuinely destitute needed help
• wrote several biographies of famous men all of whom achieve success through hard work
• in 1875 the book ‘thrift’ argued the correct use of money was the basis of self help as if self help worked there would be no need for the poor rate. this appeased the upper class as well

Question 41

drawback of smiles

Answer 41

• relatively localised in Leeds

- his views on self help relied on people acting this so his independent work may few visible changes

Question 42

who was Henry Meyhew and his background?

Answer 42

• worked as an investigative journalist
• founded the satirical magazine “punch” selling approximately 6000 copies a week in the 1840s
• wrote for the Morning Chronicle where he described the lives of the poor in London (this applied the a large proportion of the upper class)

Question 43

what did Meyhew do?

Answer 43

• these articles from the Morning Chronicle were later published in a book entitled London Labour and the London Poor which captured the interest of the reading public
• although primarily concerned with London he placed his findings in a wider national context
• visited the homes and workplaces of the poor writing about what he witnessed. his innovative and unemotional investigative journalism reveals the extent to which London’s economy depended on unskilled and casual labour

Question 44

what was Meyhew’s classification of the poor split in to?

Answer 44

• those who will work (the able bodied poor). these were manual workers who had specific skills they could sell
• those who cannot work (these were some able bodied who had no work or who’s work couldn’t be done at the time or the disabled and the elderly)
• those who will not work (those who chose not to work)

Question 45

how was Dickens and his background?

Answer 45

• keenly aware of the plight of the poor dickens provided a voice for them in a manner that captured the interests and concerns of the middle class
• journalism career started by contributing to The Mirror or Parliament and the True Sun before becoming a parliamentary journalist for the the Morning Chronicle
• experiences poverty first hand as he was sent to a blackening factory attached to a workhouse as a kid and his farther was put in jail
• visited workhouses as an adult witnessing the conditions

Question 46

what did dickens do?

Answer 46

• emphasised two key themes in his writing: the poor were still people but also the harsh conditions within workhouses
• published his works in small weekly instalments which appealed to a greater cohort of people than a whole book. this also meant he could gauge people’s reactions and modify the plot accordingly, ensuring their popularity
• accompanied his writing for illustrations meaning his books appealed to not only the middle class but also the illiterate poor
• perhaps Dickens most damning indictment of the workhouse system

Question 47

strengths of groups

Answer 47

• groups were a large part of help throughout the country
• addressed the direct needs of the paupers as different groups were tailored towards different needs. this helped to facilitate the success of self help as without groups the work of individuals may have been less successful as there would be no means to fulfil it
• temporary so more self sufficient

Question 48

drawbacks individuals

Answer 48

• many individuals had a localised influence. e.g. smiles in Leeds and Meyhew in London. this meant many up north or in rural areas would have been impacted little
• relied on people acting on their views and therefore did little to provide provisions
• Meyhew’s categorisation of the poor has direct links to their ability to provide provisions as led to an inability to provide for ‘all’, creating a deficit

Question 49

drawbacks of groups

Answer 49

• many were still under the surveillance of local boards of guardians so despite advocating self help they could never fully change attitudes due to this interference which determined administration
• some groups were limited their longevity due to lack of funding or circumstantial opportunities.
• some differentiated between the deserving and undeserving or had strict criterion meaning not everyone was helped

Question 50

strengths of individuals

Answer 50

• helped to change attitudes and therefore raised awareness of pauperism
• appealed to both the upper class swell as paupers. Day to day nature of groups meant they had little influence on anyone other than the paupers who turned to them for relief
• individuals made long term improvements by changing attitudes meaning they were dealing with the problem at its roots.

Question 51

drawback of general self help

Answer 51

• nature of it being temporary meant paupers always had the comfort of knowing they could continually go back to these organisations this reducing the ability to create a long term sustainable solution
• multiple organisations may have delayed the creation of programmes targeted as providing a system of national state welfare.