The Poor Flashcards
What were the effects of the growing Poverty in Tudor England?
o Poverty, unemployment and vagabondage were increasing problems in the 16th century: o Rising population.
> In 1525 the population was 2.26 million, by 1601 it was 4.1 million – led to rising prices and falling wages.
> Harvests could be affected by bad weather which led to reduced crop yield and death.
> Dissolution of the monasteries exacerbated poverty, as they were support and alms for the poor.
What were the effects of the growing unemployment and vagrancy?
o Unemployment and poverty was a challenge for the national and local authorities – social hardship led to economic and political unrest.
o Increasing vagrancy which monarchs had to control – authorities used punishment, made vagrants return to own parishes – prevent spread of seditious ideas which might undermine the Tudor state.
o Vagrants had no master – went against the hierarchy – Poor relief made up of donations from wealthier Parishoner’s to the church alms fund.
1495 - Vagabonds and Beggars Act
Beggars and idle poor to be put in the stocks for three days, whipped and returned to original parish.
1531 - Vagabonds Act
Impotent poor to be licensed by the JPs and allowed to beg.
1547 - Vagrancy Act
Most severe law which reflected the social and economic tensions of the time. Defined Vagrant as someone able bodied and out of employment for three days. Branded V on the chest and had to work as a slave for two years!
1552 - Poor Law
Previous vagrancy act was so severe it was impossible to enforce, thus repealed in 1550 and replaced – new act required impotent poor to be registered for the first time. Priests to put more pressure on those reluctant to make voluntary contributions to alms in the parishes.
1495 - Vagabonds and Beggars Act
Beggars and idle poor to be put in the stocks for three days, whipped and returned to original parish.
1531 - Vagabonds Act
Impotent poor to be licensed by the JPs and allowed to beg.
1547 - Vagrancy Act
Most severe law which reflected the social and economic tensions of the time. Defined Vagrant as someone able bodied and out of employment for three days. Branded V on the chest and had to work as a slave for two years!
1552 - Poor Law
Previous vagrancy act was so severe it was impossible to enforce, thus repealed in 1550 and replaced – new act required impotent poor to be registered for the first time. Priests to put more pressure on those reluctant to make voluntary contributions to alms in the parishes.
How were the Regulation of wages and prices through parliamentary statute managed?
o Regulations often as a result of pressure from particular interest groups or communities who wanted their trades to be protected.
> Acts passed in 1547 and 155 to regulate cloth-making in East Anglia and Worcester.
o Also pressure from central government to regulate economy, wages and prices.
> 1536 Cromwell passed radical Act which ordered local officials to find work for beggars and organise collections for the impotent poor.
o In the 1540s and 1550s, food prices were rising alarmingly.
> In 1548-49 laws were passed against price and wage fixing.
What were the Social and economic crisis of the 50s under Elizabeth I ? (lead up to Statute of Artificers)
o Elizabeth I inherited a country in social and economic crisis – bad harvests in 1554 to 56 and the influenza epidemic of 1555 to 59 led to a population decrease; in 1551 the population was 3.01 million but by 1561 it had declined to 2.98 million.
o Lack of food – higher prices and pushed up wages, lowered profits.
o Placed pressure on central government and local authorities – they feared that those lower down were becoming less respectful of positions higher up in society, due to vagrancy and disorder.
o Rather than tackling single issues such as wages, price rises or vagrancy, it adopted a holistic approach.
o More responsibilities in the hands of the JPs.
What were the terms of the Statute of Artificers 1563?
- All unmarried people under the age of 30 were compelled to work and to accept any job offered to them.
- At harvest time, JPs could force all those who were able to work to help bring in the crops.
- Everyone between the ages of 12 and 60 were required to work the land unless they were a member of the gentry, an heir to lands worth 10 pounds a year or goods worth 40 pounds, attending school etc.
- All wages were to be assessed and set by the local JPs annually.
- Hours of work were fixed – in the Summer it was 5am to 7 or 8pm, in winter it was dawn to sunset, and the penalty for absence was 1d an hour.
- Apprenticeships set at seven years and compulsory for any skilled occupation.
What were the strengths of the terms of 1598 Poor Law? (CHANGED ATTITUDES, LONG LASTING)
o National system of poor relief.
o First Act to make contributions to the poor compulsory and make local provisions government officials.
o Consequently changed attitudes – poor made to felt less like rejected members of society, less likely to rebel.
o Slightly revised in 1601, lasted until 1834!
What were the weaknesses of the Statute of Artificers 1563?
o It was only in the 1590’s when JPs were forced to increase wages that things really changed.
> Annual assessments of local wages were published, but these did not change for years at a time, regardless or changes to social and economic conditions. For example, the assessed wages for the country of Kent did not change once between 1563 and 1588.
o Did not solve all the problems as further acts were needed, including the 1572 and 1576 Poor Laws, and the Poor Law of 1598.
o The control over wage increases only exacerbated poverty levels among the landless peasants at the bottom of Tudor society, meaning further Poor Laws were needed.
o Unsuccessful at preventing unemployment and vagrancy – it assumed there was always work for everyone who wanted it.
> Vagrancy rose in the 1580s and 1590s and a group that was particularly affected was the cloth-workers, who experienced difficulty finding work after the disruption of cloth exports once the war began in Spain 1585.
o Poor harvests and outbreaks of disease also encouraged those who were barely surviving to move in search of work – Statute of Labourers made problems worse.
o Central government had been trying to control wage increases since the 1300s, and had undergone local experiments with wage control since the 1550s.
o Assumed there was work – For example, Vagrancy rose in the 1580s and 1590s and a group that was particularly affected was the cloth-workers, who experienced difficulty finding work after the disruption of cloth exports once the war began in Spain 1585.
