Poverty Flashcards
Poor
Those who spent 80% of their income on bread
Itinerant
Someone who moved from their parishes looking for work
Vagabonds
Homeless people without jobs who roamed the country side looking for money
Economic recession
Fall in demand, falling prices, businesses lose money and unemloyment rises
Rural depopulation
Population of countryside falls as more people move to cities in search for work
Women
…were more vulnerable to poverty– widows had no support, women paid alot less than men
Reason for poverty: population growth
Population grew by 35% during Elizabeth’s reign, food production didnt keep up with this
Reasons for poverty–Rising prices
Bad harvest combined with population growth lead to food prices rising. Labour was cheaper so wages didn’t rise as fast. Also, demand for land meant that rents were also higher.
Reasons for poverty–sheep farming
Wool prices increased so sheep farming became very profitable.
This meant landowners switched from using land to grow food to using it for sheep.
Less people needed to farm the land meaning unemployment grew.
Reasons for poverty–enclosure
Farming techniques improved and many of these new techniques worked better if enclosed land was used. Enclosure involved merging smaller farms, evicting tenant farmers creating unemployment.
Reasons for poverty– international problems
Poor relations between England and Spain led to trade embargos with the Netherlands, creating more unemployment
Reasons for poverty–law and order problems
Many people who had left the countryside were forced to live in shacks outside the city walls and were forced into crime or begging
Poor by impotency (deserving poor)
Such as fatherless children, the aged, the blind, lame, incurable disease. Were poor through no fault of their own, more sympathy
Poor by misfourtune
Wounded soldiers, evicted householders and the sick
Poor through their own fault (able poor)
The idle beggars, rioters, vagabonds, rouges, strumpets. Were not seen favourably
1563 Statute of Artificers
Those refusing to pay poor rates could be put in prison. Officials who failed to organise poor relief could pay a penalty of up to £20
1572 Vagabonds act
Vagrants to be:
Whipped and bored in ear
Imprisoned if caught again
Executed on third time
Established national poor rate and justices of peace to keep a register of the poor. Authorities tasked with finding work for able bodied poor
1576 poor relief act
JPs required to provide poor with raw materials (wool for example) to enable them to make and sell things. The poor who refused to were sent to the house of correction
Success of policies towards the poor
Law for the poor to be given ways to make things which tbey could sell.
Some were given money and sent on there way whixh was cheaper than sending them to their home towns
Some london parishes gave special help to abandoned babies, the old and the sick
Failures of policies towards the poor
Poverty continued
Trade with Netherlands still a problem
Some towns didnt whip the poor
Poor rate
Existed before Elizabeth’s reign but was unofficial. It was a local tax organised by justices of the peace, with the proceeds spent on improving the lives of the poor. The poor were given money or things to sell.
