Poor Law Amendment Flashcards
How was the poor law commission set up?
Established to administer the PLAA throughout the country
3 commissioners & Chadwick as secretary to the commission (bitterly disappointed and clashing frequently with the commissioners, he used his influence to the full for 14years)
The commissioners were originally assisted by 9 assistants - to make sure that decision made centrally were implemented at local level in the parishes
Why was there hardly any opposition in parliament to the poor law amendment bill?
Tories were overwhelmed by the arguments of the Whigs, seduced as they were by the utilitarian arguments - where they should’ve stood out against it as an encroachment in traditional paternalism
Most who argued against were joy concerned with its philosophy but the centralisation involved an it’s increased opportunities for patronage this would provide
Supporters based on a mass of carefully collected evidence (ROYAL COMMISSION) and it did exactly what the MPs and lords wanted (reduced the cost of providing for the poor by providing for them efficiently)
Why was outdoor relief still used in the north?
It was subject to swings of cyclical unemployment beyond the control of mill- and factory-owners
Outdoor relief was not only the most humane alternative, it was also the cheaper alternative to building huge workhouses that would remain half empty for most of a working year
Why was the PLAA opposed ?
Rumour & propaganda: union workhouses built far from homes of those seeking relief, fuelled belief that they were extermination centres
The book of murder widely circulated and erroneously believed to be the work of the poor law commissioners contained suggestions that pauper children should be gassed
Bread as part of outdoor relief was poisoned in order to reduce the number of those claiming this form of relief
Children after first 3 = killed
Genuine fears: based on individual perceptions of the way in which society should he organised, many attacked the centralisation - commissioners seen as London based with no real concern for the ways of life outside the city
Rural ratepayers realised that outdoor relief = cheaper than indoor
How effective was the anti-poor law movement?
The government was not going to back down and repeal the PLAA
It was however prepared to make concessions
In 1838 the General Prohibitory Order was set aside for unions in Lancashire and the west riding of Yorkshire. There, the guardians were allowed to administer relief according to the 1601 Elizabethan Poor Law, and a considerable amount of discretion was permitted to guardians in negotiating local settlements
How did it all end?
The new PL was established relatively easily in other urban areas
The Metropolitan Anti-Poor Law Association, had little effect
Opposition was short-lived - in many places it was a spontaneous reaction to unwelcome change and because mostly unorganised had no chance of success
Those who remained to protest turned to chartism
