Poor law - Section B (3.3-3.7)

Question 1

What WH reforms did Sturges Bourne advise?

Answer 1

New voting system when choosing OotP = more rich, vote means more

Clergyman in the vestry = guides who’s deserving and undeserving

Question 2

What did Gilbert advise for WH reforms?

Answer 2

If 2/3rd of tax ratepayers agree = union and gave gentry more power (NEGATIVE)

Church wardens + ministers = info about local charities that provide relief(POSITIVE)

Question 3

What is the Speenhamland systems of outdoor relief?

Answer 3

Relief in goods e.g flour

System = no legal backing

Established clear criteria on who was eligible = link between bread and no. of dependants.

Question 4

What is the Roundsman system of providing relief?

Answer 4

Able bodied paupers = employees of farmers

Wage paid by the farmer and parish

System was corrupt = farmers would pay for whatever was cheaper, the poor rate or the cheap labour.

Question 5

What is the labour rate as a system for providing poor relief?

Answer 5

By 1832 = 1 in 5 parishes used this system

Nominal labour rate was set for able bodied paupers

Farmers employed + paid wages of the paupers. Farmers then didn’t have to pay the poor rate.

Question 6

Why did the wars with France cause a pressure for change?

Answer 6

Good harvests = forced food prices to be low. War time taxes was high so people couldn’t afford it

1815 - Corn Laws introduced = to pro torch British farmers, don’t allow import of foreign corn.

^ Consequence = riots up and down the country

Question 7

Why did the swing riots cause a pressure to change?

Answer 7

Petitions signed by ‘Captain Swing’ = looked like an organised revolution Created fear within the government.

POSITIVE = create an atmosphere where the reform of the poor laws was a necessity

NEGATIVE = 19 rioters sentenced to death and 600 were sent to Australia

Question 8

How did regional demands create a pressure to change?

Answer 8

Regional differences were significantly different = 24% in London were in WH and nearly 4% in Wiltshire

Government = needed to centralise system

Parishes adopt policies that don’t benefit the pauper to reduce the cost.

Question 9

Long term concerns, which led to the Whig gov in 1832, setting up an enquiry into the Poor Law

Answer 9

Systems such as Speenhamland were encouraging larger families and continued the cycle of destitution.

Increase cost of poor relief

People perceive administrators of poor relief were corrupt and abused their power

Question 10

Short term concerns, which led to the Whig gov in 1832, setting up an enquiry into the Poor Law

Answer 10

Swing riots

Wars with France

Ideological arguments

Question 11

How did ideological arguments cause a pressure for change?

Answer 11

Malthus = abolish Poor Law bc families would not be encouraged to have big families. Tf breaks poverty cycle.

^ Ricardo same conc. but different reason. Argued more money into poor tax = less money into wages

Paine = property tax of the rich to support pensions

Question 12

How did Utilitarianism influence a pressure to change?

Answer 12

Bentham = society should be organised so that the greatest amount of people will be happy

Argued poor relief was responsibility of the public and deserving and undeserving shouldn’t be classed.

Question 13

When did the Royal Whig government set up the Royal Commission of Enquiry into the Operation for Poor Laws?

Answer 13

February 1832

Question 14

What did the 1832 enquiry do to get results?

Answer 14

Three non- compulsory questionnaires sent to parishes

1 = parishes in towns and 2 = parishes in rural areas.

Only 10% replied

26 assistant commissioners = sent to question 3,000 parishes (1/5 of poor law districts)

Question 15

Who was apart of the 1832 enquiry?

Answer 15

Nine commissioners e.g Chadwick

Question 16

Strengths of the 1832 enquiry

Answer 16

Main aim was to understand how PL work to reform them = first of its kind

13 volumes of findings were published in the appendices of their report

Question 17

Weaknesses of the 1832 enquiry

Answer 17

Large volumes of results = hard to analyse what was the problems.

Leading questions in the questionnaire

Question 18

Give examples of keys findings of the 1832 enquiry

Answer 18

OotP = incompetent because they don’t want to do anything and want to be popular

Roundsman system = farm workers lose their jobs to paupers and have to get relief

Growing pop. = parish can’t keep up with the poor relief

Question 19

What did the Royal Commissioners suggest in the 1834 Amendment Act recommend?

Answer 19

Integrated WH = provide for able bodied, children and infirm

Parishes = unions

New central authority should be established

Question 20

What were the aims of the poor amendment act?

Answer 20

Reduce cost of providing poor relief

Make sure the destitute gets the relief

Provide international system for poor relief

Question 21

What did the amendment act say?

Answer 21

Outdoor relief was to be abolished and discouraged

Knutchbull’s less eligibility = conditions is worse than a labourer inside WH

Poor law unions made

Question 22

What did the Poor law commissioners do as a priority for the Poor law amendment act?

Answer 22

WH = deterrent so no. of people claiming poor relief decreased.

Settlement Laws = clear to protect urban ratepayers from fluctuating demand

Question 23

What happened when you enter the WH?

Answer 23

Families are split up = children stay with mothers until 7 and given a medical check up.

Question 24

What was it like inside the WH?

Answer 24

No personal belongings and always wearing a uniform.

Staff watched bathroom and given razors one a week to stop self mutilation

Work couldn’t affect the work/ businesses outside the WH. So it had to be down outside.

Question 25

What was the food like inside the WH?

Answer 25

Until 1842 = all food was eaten in silence Food was part of the routine and was to not be enjoyed. Food was to keep them alive to work. Poor Law Commissioners created 6 models for food but PL guardians chose the cheapest one.

Question 26

What was discipline like in the WHs?

Answer 26

Staff used reward and punishment system = extra food or money. ^ No legal backing PL comm = specific punishments and handbook ^ better than Old Poor law = staff didn’t know limit of their power (abused it) Girls and women couldn’t be hit. Used jailed cells

Question 27

What happened to children in the WH?

Answer 27

education institutionalised | ^ Education Act (Forsters Act) = education outside WH helped integration.

Question 28

Who were the paupers inside the WH?

Answer 28

1/5 of inmates had been there 5 years or longer Young people Vagrants Children Elderly Single women Mentally ill

Question 29

How did rumour and propaganda affect the implementation of the Poor Law amendment act?

Answer 29

Union WH = far from homes bc extermination camps Book of murder = PL Comm suggested children should be gassed Devon = bread given in outdoor relief was poisoned bc gov wanted to stop administering this relief.

Question 30

How did the genuine fears of the people affect the implementation of the Poor Law amendment act?

Answer 30

PL Comm = seen as a Londoners who didn’t understand real life concerns for people outside of London Replacement of Old Poor law = got rid of paternalistic bond between rich and poor Ratepayers in northern industrial cities = cyclical unemployment. So building a WH for this is not suitable

Question 31

How did protest in the rural south affect the implementation of the Poor Law amendment act?

Answer 31

Local magistrates + clergy = viewed as unnecessary centralisation East Anglia, St Clements in Ipswich = attacked ^ poor in the streets and affluent used their position w.g refuse less eligibility principle. Tolpuddle martyrs = failed and sentenced to transportation of illegal others. ^ rural protest stopped + large farm owners didn’t have any workers so it made amendment act happen

Question 32

How did opposition from the north affect the implementation of the Poor Law amendment act?

Answer 32

Guardians, magistrates and mill owners = didn’t like Londoners bc their knowledge form the report mainly came from the south. 10 hours movement = hours in textile mill only 10, By fielden in Parliament Armed riots in Todmorden = poor law amendment act instead in 1877 instead of 1834 due to large opposition

Question 33

How did Richard Oastler affect the implementation of the Poor Law amendment act?

Answer 33

Supported 10 hours movement Believe PL Comm = too powerful bc can give cheap pauperised labour. Which would lead to a reduction in labour wages. By 1838 = encouraging strikes and riots bc unions took away personal interaction with paupers. Sent to debtors prison and after 4 years freed

Question 34

How did John Fielden affect the implementation of the Poor Law amendment act?

Answer 34

Voted against the amendment bill and tried to get the act repealed. Only MP to attend the anti-poor law amendment act meeting in May 1837 Todmorden mill owner = threatened to close mill if PL Guardians didn’t resign ^ refused + shut down for a week ^ opened after a week and then workers attacked ^ refused to cooperate with authorities to identify who was violent

Question 35

How effective was oppositions to the 1834 poor law amendment act?

Answer 35

1838 = General Prohibitory Order in northern cities allowed Elizabethan way of Poor Law to be used Opposition was not organised and was short term. In urban eras it was very short lived e.g Metropolitan Anti-Poor law association

Question 36

Who replaced the Poor Law Commission,

Answer 36

Poor Law Board

Question 37

When did the Poor Law Board replace the Poor Law Commission?

Answer 37

1847

Question 38

What did the PLB aim to do?

Answer 38

Increase gov involvement ^ several Cabinet members were ex officio ^ President = MP Fix problems associated with the PLC ^ Consequence = what they did was answerable to parliament and public opinion

Question 39

Weakness of the PLB members?

Answer 39

Not all members changed = Nicholls stayed, was a member of PLC and AC stayed (4 were added)

Question 40

Success of the PLB?

Answer 40

1850s = medical dispensaries for paupers. 1852 = paupers who could pay for meds was qualified for this. Contests to being tested by medical officers at home. Forster’s Education Act 1870 = Funded ‘Board Schools’ in areas without real schools. Pauper hospital = only place paupers can get free medical care. Beginning of national state-funded system of medical care (NHS). Connections between less eligibility and medicine were being broken.

Question 41

Weaknesses of the PLB?

Answer 41

Medical care was given, but historians suggest this was not a conscious decision/ change in ideology. But only in response to public opinion tf wouldn’t have happened without public. Popularity of outdoor relief still increased. Early 1860s = American Cotten failed + Lancashire mills needed short term outdoor relief. ^ Failed to abolish outdoor relief.

Question 42

Why was the PLB replaced?

Answer 42

1870s = gov more aware of their role with the welfare of the people New PH legislation = relied on local authorities, so they gave the PL to them.

Question 43

Who replaced the PLB?

Answer 43

The Local Government Board

Question 44

When did the Local Government Board replaced the PLB?

Answer 44

1871

Question 45

Where were the aims/ beliefs of the LGB?

Answer 45

Supported deterring able-bodied paupers (less eligibility) Authorised BoG help paupers to emigrate Condemned outdoor relief (even though majority use it)

Question 46

Success of charities

Answer 46

Affluent members supported it e.g aristocracy which helped to achieve their aims. Publicity and propaganda Established practices + procedures which collected data on the pauper. This formed a basis of social work.

Question 47

Weakness of the COS

Answer 47

Charity can only be given to the ‘deserving poor’ so most applying for relief was turned down. Branches failed to create sufficient funds and volunteers so they shut down. Charities and board of guardians saw them as interfering.

Question 48

Strengths of friendly societies

Answer 48

By 1877 memberships = 2.7 million. Organisation with central bodies so it could be used nationwide. Supported by LGB bc it fulfilled self help criteria

Question 49

Weaknesses of friendly societies

Answer 49

Only suitable for skilled workers = too expensive for paupers. Also fined for late payments. Some friendly societies were badly managed so it was hard to get your money back when you needed it. Some friendly societies has specific criteria on who could join e.g no over 40s

Question 50

Strengths of co-operatives

Answer 50

Allowed paupers to have weekly dividends, this helped them to plan their finances. By 1880 = nearly a million co-op shareholders

Question 51

Weaknesses of the co-operatives

Answer 51

Only skilled and semi-skilled workers benefitted from co-ops bc you had to pay in cash not tokens. ^ taken of truck shops

Question 52

How did Samuel Smiles deal with poverty?

Answer 52

Strong supporter of the Leeds co-operative societies. Supported the Leeds Railway Society 1859 = self help book published and was very popular Initially supported charitism but stopped bc they supported violence Calls for parliamentary change

Question 53

How did Dickens deal with poverty?

Answer 53

Oliver Twist = popular depiction of WH ^ persuasive to middle and lower classes experienced poverty = blacking factory as a child Journalist for the morning chronicle where he wrote his stories as instalments ^ WH = cruel + dehumanise paupers and staff Pressure to change = after death

Question 54

How did Mayhew deal with poverty?

Answer 54

Divided poor into three sections: Those who will work (skilled, able-bodied) Those can’t work (skilled but no jobs or ill) Those who will not work (beggars and vagrants) Wrote articles on London = London Labourer and the London Poor Works became national

Question 55

Who and how long was Booth’s enquiry?

Answer 55

17 years long with 35 uni educated staff Investigated nature of poverty in London Divided population into Classes A to H e.g E and F were 51.1% of people living comfortable lives with regular employment

Question 56

How reliable were Booth’s findings?

Answer 56

Only used observation ^ Helen Bosanquet (COS) = poverty line was based on facts with only specific sample e.g teachers. Not poor. Underestimated the income of paupers.

Question 57

When were Booths findings and how long?

Answer 57

1903 Structural reasons add to poverty

Question 58

When and where was Rowntree’s enquiry

Answer 58

York 3 surveys = 1st (1899) published 1901), 2nd (1941) and 3rd (1951)

Question 59

What did Rowntree’s enquiry do?

Answer 59

11,560 households were visited and 46,754 pieces of info was obtained Found 10% of York lived below the poverty line, which he called the Primary Poverty

Question 60

How reliable was Rowntree’s findings?

Answer 60

Helen Bosanquent = overestimated poverty bc out overtly line too high

Question 61

What did both Booth and Rowntree identify?

Answer 61

Rejected idea that the poor was cause for poverty Convinced liberals to change their ideas

Question 62

Key members of the Fabian Society

Answer 62

Sidney and Beatrice Webb

Question 63

What did the Fabian Society do in 1906?

Answer 63

Lobby for minimum wage bc companies were being competitive which made lives of workers worse. Also lobbied for national health system 1907-1911 to defend the empire

Question 64

Why did the Fabians support the Boer War?

Answer 64

They thought small countries didn’t have a place in the world of empires. Wanted to replace the army with healthy civilians, bc influence the use of a NHS at home.

Question 65

How did the Fabians play a part in the emergence of the Labour Party?

Answer 65

Sent delegates to the Labour Party Foundation Conference Led to the Labour Representative Committee being made (socialists and Fabian were associated) 6 years later = 26 LRC sponsored candidates for on seats in elections. Became Labour Party. By 1980 = 2,500 members (tripled)

Question 66

What happened in the Boer war (1899-1902)?

Answer 66

Rowntree claimed 26.5% of recruits were physically unhealthy. 2 out of 3 men who signed up to fight were unfit 50 % of men who volunteered were unfit

Question 67

How did the government respond to the Boer War?

Answer 67

1903 = set up the Interdepartmental Committee on Physical Deterioration ^ fears of deterioration was unfounded + gave 53 recommendations on changing public health

Question 68

Debate for national efficiency

Answer 68

Booth + Rowntree = further led to rush debate Needed national efficiency for military needs Others linked economic recovery with national reform e.g Sidney Webb (minimum wages) Social reform is now given political respectability e.g Herbert Asequith

Question 69

How did national efficiency effect politics?

Answer 69

Showed people are vital to economic and military power Encouraged policy makers to look at social and economic policies that were implemented by Britain’s competitors e.g Germany to calculate what would be the most effective

Question 70

What did the Conservative government set up in 1905?

Answer 70

The Royal Commission

Question 71

What was the majority report?

Answer 71

Poverty = morals Mixed WH = doesn’t deter Larger cooperation between charities and PL administrations is needed

Question 72

What is the minority report?

Answer 72

Poverty = economic A ministry of Labour should be set up = overlook public schemes + set up labour exchanges Labour exchanges = help people find jobs + set up detention colonies for people who are idle