The Poor

Question 1

Why was England in poverty? (Actions of Henry VIII)

Answer 1

• Collapse of Cloth trade = Less money-making opportunities
• Individual armies were banned (Henry was scared of a rebellion) = Soldiers were out of work
• Reformation = Monks and Nuns without jobs and the ill without places to live.

Question 2

Why was England in poverty? (Changes in agriculture)

Answer 2

• Bad harvests = inflation
• Enclosure farming = fewer people were needed for the job
• Farmers moved to London to find better jobs = not enough jobs were available

Question 3

Why was England in poverty? (Population increase)

Answer 3

-Population rise from 2.8 million to 4 = rack renting as there weren’t enough houses for everyone

Question 4

Why was England in poverty? (Flu breakout)

Answer 4

-200,000 people died because of flu = fewer farmers to harvest crops = and an increase in food prices as less was being produced.

Question 5

What did Thomas Harmen do?

Answer 5

-Published book (Warning against vagabonds), which warned people against vagabonds.

Question 6

What was the traditional way of treating the poor?

Answer 6

• Put into stocks
• Whipped
• Hung

Question 7

What was done to tackle the poverty crisis?

Answer 7

1601 Poor law:

• Set up a legal framework to help those who needed assistance the most (Justices of the Peace provided tools and materials to the able-bodied, to learn trades and start to make money)
• Punished those who were able-bodied and chose not to work (sent to the house of correction)
• Enforced the government and councils to find work for those who were able-bodied and to assist those who weren’t

Question 8

How beneficial were the Poor laws in fixing England’s poverty crisis and why?

Answer 8

Beneficial:
– influenced people to recognise that not every poor person was a vagabond
– places like Ipswich created schools to look after poor children and feed them

Not beneficial:
– many parishes sent poor people from one parish to another, knowing that the responsibility of caring could be shifted to another council
– many parishes stuck with punishing vagabonds which led to nothing
– many argue that the The poor laws didn’t help poor people he just made him scared even more about how they should ask for help