Poverty and Pauperism - Poor Laws (Booklet 5) Flashcards
Why had concerns about the Poor Law been growing since 1815?
By 1815, the Napoleonic Wars had ended and the tax payers became agitated that they still had to pay poor relief during peace
How could farmers afford to pay higher taxes during the wars with France?
They made large profits from the high grain prices
How did the poor relief cost change from 1815 - 1817
£5.7 million in 1815 to £7.9 million in 1817 (peak)
How did the poor relief cost change from 1817 - 1823
£7.9 million in 1817 (peak) fell to £5.7 million in 1823
How did poor harvests during the 1820s affect the cost of poor relief?
Caused a rise in the cost of poor relief every year from 1823 until it reached £7 million in 1831
Explain how some poor law administrations were corrupt
Contracts for Poor Law work were routinely awarded to local trades people rather than put out to open tender
What were Select Vestries?
Small committees which could specialise in Poor Law administration and employ salaried assistant overseers to supervise it
Why were Select Vestries corrupt? (2)
1/20 members of the Morpeth Select Vestry had a vested interest in the sale of beer
Poor relief payments were often spent
Which groups were most affected by the end of the French wars
Give 3 examples
Any industries associated with supporting the war effort overseas
Soldiers, military arms manufacturers, textiles
What did industries do to their workers after the the end of the French war?
Laid off workers as the country went through an economic slump
What was the problem with private pensions?
The working class couldn’t afford to pay into them, and thus relied on others to help them when they were older
From 1815-1833 what percentage of Britain’s expenditure was spent on poor relief
2% of Britain’s GNP
Who was the poor relief picked up by?
Ratepayers (tax payers)
How did factory work contribute the problem?
Led to a large number of poorly paid workers who could not look after themselves during economic slumps
After 1824 what was the cost (per head) of the poor relief?
9s 2d
Between 1819 - 1823 what was the cost (per head) of the poor relief?
11s 7d
What was the consequence of the poor relief being funded by ratepayers
Many were influential figures who could vote in elections, and thus became vocal about the problem of Pauperism
What were the three different views of the individualism debate
Those who wanted to maintain the current system
Those who wanted to change it a little
Those who wanted to transform it radically
Which groups of people primarily adopted the view of maintaining the current system (individualism)
Humanitarians and Tories
Which group of people primarily adopted the view of changing the current system a little (individualism)
People with the same motivations as the humanitarians and Tories but wanted some change
Which group of people primarily adopted the view of radically changing the current system (individualism)
Whigs who favoured a radical overhaul of the system
Name two influential figures involved in individualism
Thomas Malthus
Joseph Townsend
Name two influential figures involved in collectivism
Thomas Paine
Robert Owen
What funding did collectivism propose for the over 50s
Pension provision
