Poverty and Pauperism Flashcards
What was the Speenhamland system?
A system whereby the rate of outdoor relief is set at the price of a loaf of bread.
When was the Speenhamland system introduced?
1795
By 1801 how long had the Elizabethan Poor Law been in operation?
200 Years
When did the Napoleonic Wars begin and end?
1793-1815
What influential book was published by Samuel Smiles in 1859 and what did it advocate?
Self Help advocated the importance of people’s own abilities to help themselves rather than rely on state help
When were the Corn Laws introduced?
1815
What was the purpose of the Corn Laws?
The Corn Laws were designed to protect British farmers from foreign competition.
When were the Corn Laws repealed (completely)?
1846
Under whose ministry were the Corn Laws repealed?
Robert Peel
How did the Corn Laws work?
The law prohibited the importation of foreign corn until the price of domestic corn reached 10 shillings a bushel.
Why did the working classes oppose the Corn Laws?
Raised the price of bread the staple food of the poor
What did the government set up in 1832 to look at the issue of poor relief?
A Royal Commission
When was the Poor Law Amendment Act passed?
1834
What is a parish?
An area served by a parish church that was responsible for poor relief
Give 6 reasons why the Poor Law Amendment Act was introduced.
Cost to the local ratepayer
Attitudes towards the poor were changing
Problems with the speenhamland system
Ineffective parish system
Variation in geographical areas
People had to be sent back to the parish of their birth
Absolute poverty
Not being able to meet needs for survival e.g. food, clothes, shelter
Relative poverty
. People lack the minimum amount of income needed to maintain the average standard of living where they live
. Income and resources that society deems necessary for proper living conditions
Why was the Elizabethan Poor Law introduced?
To stop people coming so desperate they riot and Queen Elizabeth believed the state had a duty to look after its people
What are parishes?
The smallest unit of local government, were made responsible for the poor
Who were the indigent?
The deserving poor who were unable to work due to disability
What happened to the deserving poor under the 1601 poor law?
They were helped by giving them food and shelter in poor houses where they would be looked after
Under the 1601 poor law what happened to the able bodied poor?
Given work to do like digging in exchange for out door relief to buy food with
What if no work was available for the underserving poor under the 1601 poor law?
It was up to the overseer if they got relief
How was the money for the poor relief raised under the 1601 poor law?
By taxing property owners
What did the 17 century Laws of Settlement do?
. Gave overseers the right to send the poor back to their parish of birth if they believed they had arrived to claim ‘poor relief’
. This discouraged people from going to parishes which offered the best support
Gilbert’s Act 1782
Parishes to group together to form larger Poor Law authorities to help with rising costs e.g. having one poor house
By 1776 how many poorhouses were there and who was being helped?
2000 poorhouses provided relief only to those people physically unable to work although outdoor relief was more widely used for the able-bodied poor.
By the 1830s how many parishes formed how many unions?
900 parishes had formed 67 unions
What did the Speenhamland ‘outdoor’ relief system do in 1795 and where?
In Berkshire it supplemented farm workers low wages to keep them in work based on the price of bread and the size of family
What was the Speenhamland system good for?
Looking after workers who were unemployed due to seasonal fluctuations and stopped them from becoming more destitute
What was the issue with the Speenhamland system?
Some employers used it to undercut wages
Issue with overseers under the old system?
Had too much power
Who did the Poor Law Act of 1601 place responsibility on for dealing with the poor?
Local parishes
Why was the old system under pressure?
Growth in population which placed greater strain on parishes
What was the system of poor relief like before 1834?
Like the Elizabethan legislation
Who decided on the quality of support under the old poor law?
Not specifically determined by the government so it was up to the parish so it depended on their goodwill
What was the most common support under the old poor law?
Out door relief - giving money or food rather than putting them in a poorhouse
What were poorhouses originally?
A deterrent against idleness
How many poorhouses were there in 1776 each containing how many inmates?
2,000 institutes containing 20-50 inmates
What was agreed in parliament about poorhouses in 1782 - what was the act?
They were expensive to run so it was agreed only orphaned children and those who physically could not work due to age or sickness should be admitted - Gilbert’s Act
In 1795 what was devised with relief?
An effort to create a uniform provision for those claiming outdoor relief - Speenhamland system
What was the Speenhamland system?
Determine the value of relief to be given to those in need and tied to the cost of a gallon loaf of bread
How would the wage of a single male applicant be made up under Speenhamland?
Made up to the cost of three loaves of bread, if married and with children, the price would include another one and a half loaves
The ‘Roundsman’ system
Sold the labour of paupers to local farmers or other employers at a reduced cost, with the difference being made up by the local parish from the Poor Rate
Labour rate
Paid money into a separate fund from the Poor Rate to pay paupers when they were employed to carry our work on behalf of the parish
As the population grew what was there a burden to do?
Formalise the process
What did the 1818 Act for the Regulation of Parish Vestries and in 1819 the Act to Amend the Laws for Relief of the Poor do?
Created parish committees who could scrutinise relief-giving and recommend the level of provision
Why was the efficiency of the parish based system limited?
Each parish acted independently there was no co-ordinated country wide response
What was the population in1801 and how does this compare to 1601?
The population of England and Wales was 9 million – more than double that of when the Elizabethan Poor Law was first established
Apart from population what else placed a strain on poor relief?
. Mechanisation
. Season-dependent employment of agricultural labourers
. Wars with France between 1793 and 1815 when the cost of living rose
What did the money spent on relief average out between 1814 and 1818?
£6.4 million
What did the high amount of poor relief draw in?
Protest from ratepayers and the owners of property and the poor themselves
Where were the counties with the most prevalent riots?
Where the Speenhamland system was widely used
What did the Speenhamland system mean for people?
Meant farmers had reduced wages, believing the shortfall would be made up by the Poor Rate, so when further cuts were made and employment reduced
% in north and south receiving relief in 1802-1803
. 10% in the north
. 23% in the south
When was the royal commission set up?
1832
What did the Royal Commission do?
Gathered evidence from across the country and questionnaires were sent out to 15,000 parishes, although only 10% of these received a response
What did the final report of the Royal Commission find?
Existing system was inadequate in terms of the effectiveness of its provision and also the excessive cost it demanded
What recommendations did the Royal Commission make?
. The removal of outdoor relief altogether,
. More punishing workhouses
. Grouping of parishes together
. Ceation of a central board to implement the new system.
Deserving Poor in 1601
. Those who were too old, young or ill to work
. These people were looked after in almshouses, orphanages, workhouses or hospitals
. Orphans and children of the poor were to be given an apprenticeship to a tradesman.
Deserving Unemployed in 1601
. Those who were physically fit but unable to find work
. These people were to be given help in the form of outdoor relief e.g. clothes, food or maybe money
Undeserving poor in 1601
. Also called idle beggars
. Those who could work but chose not to
. They were to be whipped through the town until they learnt the error of their ways
