Poverty And Pauperism: The Old Poor Law

Question 1

When was the first Poor Law introduced

Answer 1

1601 under the reign of Elizabeth I. People returned to their parish of birth to receive support

Question 2

When was the Act of Settlement passed?

Answer 2

1662

Question 3

What did the 1662 Act of Settlement set as requirements for obtaining poor relief?

Answer 3

(1) born there
(2) lived there for 1 year 1 day
(3) were completing an apprenticeship
(4) were married to a husband from the parish

Question 4

Why was the 1662 Act of Settlement ineffective?

Answer 4

There was no national system so poor relief varied depending on the good will of the people supplying relief in the parish

Question 5

Before 1834, how was poor relief enacted?

Answer 5

(1) Outdoor Relief
(2) Poorhouses initiated in the 1700s
(3) The Speenhamland System
(4) The Roundsman System
(5) The Labour Rate

Question 6

What is outdoor relief?

Answer 6

This was the practice of giving money, food or clothes to the poor instead of placing them into an institution like a poorhouse

Question 7

When was Gilbert’s Act enacted?

Answer 7

1782

Question 8

What did the 1782 Gilbert’s Act state?

Answer 8

They were expensive to run and in 1782, parliament decided that the poorhouses should only be made available for orphaned children, the sick or the elderly. This act became known as Gilbert’s Act, after Thomas Gilbert who introduced the initial bill. All ‘able-bodied’ paupers were to remain outside of an institution, being encouraged to seek work, look after themselves or receive provision from the parish.

Question 9

What was the Speenhamland System before 1834?

Answer 9

The system established a formal relationship between the price of bread and the number of dependents in a family. The money for this poor relief would come from the Poor Rate which had been established in the 1601 legislation. It was adopted by many southern parishes

Question 10

What was the Roundsman System before 1834?

Answer 10

The Roundsman System meant that able-bodied poor labourers were paid their wages by the parish ratepayers. The ratepayers paid part of the labourers wages and the parish paid the rest.

Question 11

What was the Labour Rate before 1834?

Answer 11

It was where the Overseers of the Poor imposed a parish rate to cover the relief of the able-bodied poor and then set a wage for each unemployed labourer. Ratepayers had to decide whether to employ the labourer at the set wage or pay the parish rate. However, if the ratepayer paid out less in wages than he would if he paid the parish rate, he had to make up the difference

Question 12

Which two acts in 1818 and 1819 allowed for the creation of parish committees that recommended the level of provision for the poor?

Answer 12

1818 – Act for the Regulation of Parish Vestries

1819 – Act to Amend the Laws for Relief of the Poor

Question 13

Why was the Old Poor Law (before 1834) so ineffective?

Answer 13

(a) Inconsistency of Relief - independent parishes, increase in population, increase in industrialisation
(b) War with France (1793-1815) - cost of living rose substantially, economic depression, returning soldiers
(c) Cost - £6.4 million between 1814 and 1818, Swing Riots of 1830

Question 14

How much did the Old Poor Law cost between 1814 and 1818

Answer 14

£6.4 million annually

Question 15

When was the Royal Commission set up?

Answer 15

1832 under the Whig government of Earl Grey

Question 16

What was the Royal Commission of 1832?

Answer 16

The work was carried out by 26 assistant commissioners working in 15,000 parishes and reporting back to 9 commissioners, including Nassau Senior and Edwin Chadwick.

Question 17

What did the 1832 Royal Commission recommend?

Answer 17

• The removal of outdoor relief altogether
• The use of more punishing workhouses to act as a deterrent
• The grouping or parishes together to manage workhouses effectively
• The creation of a central national board to oversee a new system

Question 18

Why did Thomas Malthus oppose the Poor Law altogether before 1834??

Answer 18

In 1798, he published his ‘An Essay on the Principle of Population’ in which he argued that population had an inbuilt propensity to rise and outstrip all available food supplies. Without the effects of the Poor Law, the poor would keep their families small, wages would rise because the poor rate would no longer be imposed on ratepayers and employers could afford to pay more

Question 19

In which year did Thomas Malthus publish ‘An Essay on the Principle of Population’ detailing his opposition to the Poor Law

Answer 19

1798

Question 20

Why did David Ricardo oppose the Poor Law altogether before 1834?

Answer 20

‘Principles of Political Economy’ in 1817. Ricardo argued that as more money was being paid in poor relief, less money was available for the wages of the poor. If we abolished the Poor Law, more money would be available for the wages of the poorest.

Question 21

In which year did David Ricardo publish ‘Principles of Political Economy’ detailing his opposition to the Poor Law

Answer 21

1817

Question 22

What were Thomas Paine’s ideas for the reformation of the Old Poor Law before 1834?

Answer 22

In his book, ‘The Rights of Man’, Paine argued that the government should impose a tax on the rich to fund a new system of poor relief which he wanted to include family allowances and old age pensions. He also argued that the able-bodied poor should be required to be in a workhouse before they receive any form of poor relief.

Question 23

In which year did Thomas Paine publish ‘The Rights of Man’ detailing his opposition to the Unreformed Poor Law

Answer 23

1791

Question 24

What was Robert Owen’s argument against the unreformed Poor Law before 1834?

Answer 24

Owen argued that with the introduction of co-operative communities, the harder the poor worked, the greater their income would be and that there would be no requirement for a Poor Law at all

Question 25

What were Jeremy Bentham’s ideas for a new Poor Law before 1834?

Answer 25

He proposed the establishment of a National Charity Company in 1796 which would be in control of the country’s poor. Workhouses would be set up in which the workers would be put to work to pay for their maintenance in addition to providing a profit for the company’s shareholders. The rationale for this harsh approach was that everyone would be happy without the fear of starvation and that the company would support the improvement of society generally, thus supporting the Principle of Utility with the provision of new infrastructure and services.

Question 26

Why was the Poor Law Amendment Act initiated in 1834?

Answer 26

• Increase in population and industrialisation
• Discontent – Swing Riots and from ratepayers
• 1832 Royal Commission and the effects of utilitarianism
• The faults of the old system – Speenhamland System
• Financial implications of the old system