Social reforms Flashcards
What could the poor do?
Swell the ranks of protestors and exacerbate social and economic problems for the authorities
What did the measures taken reflect?
The need to tackle a problem before it got out of hand
Wha was the impact of the remedies?
Not all were successful and seemed quite inadequate
What had Tudor society done?
For the first time in 300 years introduced reforms
What did urban and rural authorities succeed in doing and despite?
Keeping the poor under control
Population doubling, severe trade depressions, and the closure of the monasteries
What was the first Tudor administration to address the growing number of beggars?
That of Cromwells in the 1530s
Until the 1530s what was the case?
Itinerant beggars were put in the stocks for three days and then returned to their previous known residence
Impotent beggars weren’t allowed to roam the countryside
What did the depression of the 1520s lead to?
Large numbers of unemployed people taking to the roads which galvanised the government and some towns into action
What happened in 1531?
An Act made a distinction between the impotent and idle poor; the former were licensed by JPs to beg, the latter were to be whipped
What did London introduce in 1533 and how was this extended?
Voluntary alms collections in 1533
An Act of 1536 which also required parish authorities to find work for the able-bodied but lazy poor
What was the impact of alms collections?
Few collections were made, village constables were given neither money nor raw materials to set the poor to work, and proved ineffectual
What happened to vagabonds during the Edwardian government?
Continued to be punished, most notably between 1547 and 1549 when a proclamation sentenced them to two years’ slavery for a first offence
What happened to the genuine poor during the Edwardian government?
Received dole money from church donations
Why did the attempt in 1552 at stopping begging fail?
Donations remained discretionary
The threat of being admonished by the priest or bishop awaited non-contributors
What had cities such as Norfolk and London instituted?
A compulsory poor rate levied by the parish
What is clear?
That measures adopted by town authorities were much more effective than government legislation
By 1533 what was the case?
Several hospitals in London had been founded and endowed
Bridewell housed vagabonds, Christ’s looked after 400 orphans, and St Thomas’s and St Bartholomew’s took in six people
What happened in Elizabeth’s reign?
Cities like Norwich, Ipswich, and Exeter came to accept their responsibility for funding and managing the welfare of their citizens
What did the 1572 Act recognise and require, and who was appointed?
That the ‘deserving poor’ were to be helped and vagabonds severely punished
JPs to assess how much was needed to keep them
Overseers to collect compulsory parish taxes
What did parishioners develop and what they were keen to do?
A collective responsibility for maintaining order
Discourage begging and vagrancy
What was a fundamental flaw in the 1572 Act and what happened?
It made no provision for men and women who wanted to work but were unable to find any
Rectified four years later
What did the 1576 Act require?
Parishes to provide wool, flax, iron, and hemp so that all able-bodied people had to work
What combined to alarm the government to pass a poor law in (blank)?
A run of five bad harvests between 1594 and 1598, large numbers of young people who were out of service, and disbanded soldiers and sailors
1598
What did the 1598 laws do?
Modified and codified previous legislation
What did the Act for the Relief of the Poor do?
Replaced overworked JPs with churchwardens to oversee the welfare of the genuine law and unemployed people
What did the Act for the Punishment of Rogues and Sturdy Beggars do?
Separated vagabonds into two groups: dangerous vagabonds were to be rounded up and sent to the galleys or banished; other beggars were to be returned to their parishes of birth or placed in houses of correction
What did local overseers do?
Administer relief that was compulsory levied on parishioners and went towards food, clothing, providing work, and treating sick and older people
What fell to the JPs?
To ensure that this system of social welfare actually worked
What was done?
Enough to ensure that the poor did not pose a threat to the stability of the country
