The Poor

Question 1

why did the gap between the rich and poor become wider

Answer 1

The gap between the rich and poor became wider in the period. The social elite expanded while the poor became poorer.

Question 2

division between the poor

Answer 2

There was a division between the poor - impotent and idle poor, settled and vagrant poor which Stephen J Lee described as ‘charity became selective’

Question 3

why was there concern about vagabonds

Answer 3

In the 1500s people became worried about vagabonds for 3 main reasons :
People felt idleness was wrong due to the protestant work ethic and humanist learning and attitudes to education,
Vagabonds were blamed for many crimes such as thefts, assaults and murders. It made sense that they committed crime as they needed money for food.
Many people were worried about the cost of vagrants as towns were expected to raise money through a tax known as the poor rate to support the poor and unemployed
The growth of the printing press led to the spread of pamphlets against the poor

Question 4

causes of poverty

Answer 4

Population
Inflation
Government spending
Debasement
Bad harvests
Land Sales

Question 5

population

Answer 5

Population levels started to rise in the Tudor period. The population had reached a low point of about 1.5M in 1470, by the end of Elizabeth’s reign the population had reached 4M - which led to a low supply of food coupled with bad harvests = poverty.

Question 6

inflation

Answer 6

Inflation over the course of the 16th Century was about 400% though not all prices rose to the same extent. Prices had already doubled between 1500 and 1550 and the effects were bound to have contributed to social unrest and problems within society. Causes of inflation - government spending and debasement

Question 7

government spending

Answer 7

Henry VII spent money cautiously, but later tudors increased spending, especially on foreign wars. This put more money into circulation as the government bought clothing, provisions, weaponry and ships for wars against France and Scotland. However, government spending was only a small part of the national economic activity

Question 8

debasement

Answer 8

This refers to lowering the value of the coin by reducing the % of real silver of gold. Wolsey instituted the first debasement in 1526-27 to pay for war. Governments between 1544-1551 made successive devaluations. They reduced the silver content which forced people to ask for more money to yield the same metal value - great debasement in the 1540s coincided with the rise in prices. However, Elizabeth’s reminting of coins in the early years undermines this factor as an important one,

Question 9

bad harvests

Answer 9

Crop failures decreased the amount of available food, forcing prices to increase. However, bad harvests caused temporary shortages in food stuffs- this doesn’t fully explain the continuous price increases of the sixteenth century

Question 10

land sales

Answer 10

More land came into the open market for sale after the dissolution of the monasteries. The scramble to buy among the nobility, gentry and wealthy merchants forced up land prices. Land sales only affected the privileged few and cannot easily explain inflation in a wide range of commodity prices. Overall, a combination of factors led to inflation with the poor being hit the hardest

Question 11

early Tudor poor laws

Answer 11

The Tudor government were slow to take action. The church, monasteries, parishes and charitable houses had been deemed insufficient. When the government acted, measures were ill-thought out

Question 12

when were attempts made to reduce begging

Answer 12

In 1552, attempts were made to reduce begging by making beggars register and be given permission to beg. If they begged without a license they were whipped and returned to their parish of origin and fined

Question 13

when was the attempt made to reduce vagabonds

Answer 13

In 1563, an attempt was made to reduce the number of vagabonds. The status of artificers was ambitious in scope. It aimed to enforce potential workers to take on seven-year apprenticeships, they were tied to a particular place, thereby restricting freedom of movement. It also aimed to fix prices and wages. The local JPs were given responsibilities for carrying out the Act by having powers to punish and send culprits back to their original parishes.

Question 14

divisions between the poor

Answer 14

Impotent poor - people physically unable to work
Idle poor - people fit to work but not working and seen as undeserving

Question 15

Tudor Poor Legislation from 1572 to 1603

Answer 15

Parliament Act of 1572
Poor Relief Act of 1572
Poor law Act of 1576
Act of 1597
Poor Law Act of 1601

Question 16

parliament act 1572

Answer 16

The parliament act of 1572 made a distinction between those who were genuinely poor and those who were idle poor. Some local areas had already started charities to provide for the deserving poor. It established the principle that local ratepayers should be required to pay a rate for the relief of their own poor

Question 17

poor relief act 1572

Answer 17

The poor relief act of 1572 made donations to local authorities compulsory in 1576. Houses of Correction were set up to punish those who refused to work

Question 18

The Poor Law Act of 1576

Answer 18

The poor law act of 1576 was the first act to attempt to create a national system of poor relief to be financed and administered locally. Under the act, towns were required to make provisions for the employment of the deserving poor

Question 19

why were the government afraid of riots - 1590s

Answer 19

Social Problems became acute in the 1590s due to inflation, poor harvests, high taxation and the effects of war against Spain more action was taken. The government was afraid of riots and rebellions as had occurred in 1549. The food riots caused the privy council to take further action, especially with the effects of continuing bad harvests which were causing greater distress.

Question 20

Poor law act of 1597

Answer 20

The poor law act of 1597 set up apprenticeships to train boys until 24 and girls until 21. More houses of correction were to be built so that the able-bodied poor could be put to work. The impotent poor were to be provided for in alm houses or poor houses. Vagrants were still treated in the same harsh way as before.

Question 21

Poor law act of 1601

Answer 21

The 1597 act was repeated with slight changes in 1601. The poor law act of 1601 remained the basis of England’s treatment of the poor until the 19th century. A clear distinction had been made between the lazy and other unemployed people, but there was no real acceptance that many were unemployed and unable to support themselves though it was no fault of their own

Question 22

Development of Tudor Poor Law Legislation - henry vii and henry viii

Answer 22

1495 - all beggars were punished by being placed in stocks, then whipped and returned to parish of origin
1531 - Impotent poor were allowed to beg in their parish if they obtained a license, and fined if they begged without one. Idle poor and genuine unemployed - whipped and returned to parish of origin, fined if they begged without a license
1536 - Impotent poor - money to be raised through voluntary contributions to assist impotent poor. Idle poor and genuine unemployed - same as in 1531 and children found begging were taken from their parents and put to work

Question 23

Development of Tudor Poor Law Legislation - later tudors

Answer 23

1547 - Impotent poor - funds collected through councils to support impotent poor, houses to be built to accommodate poor. Idle and genuine unemployed - anyone unemployed for more than 3 days classed as vagrant - death penalty after 3 convinctions
1552 - Impotent poor - compulsory census and registration to reduce unauthorised begging, attempts made to persuade more people to make contributions. Idle and genuine unemployed - same as 1536
1563 - Impotent poor - if people refused to make contributions they could be taken to court and imprisoned. Idle and G.E - same as 1531
1572 - Impotent poor - compulsory contributions to poor relief. Overseers of the poor appointed by the parish to help organised poor relief. Idle poor - punishments for vagrancy increased, whipping and criminal charges for further offences. G.E - some classes of people excluded from punishment - recognised for the first time as deserving poor.
1576 - Idle poor - houses of correction to be set up to punish those who refused to work. G.E - JPs required to buy raw materials to provide work for those who were able.
1597 - Impotent poor - powers of overseers of poor carefully defined including finding work for able poor. Idle poor - whipped and returned to parish of origin. Each county had to have at least one house of correction to which persistent beggars could be sent. G-U - Tools and materials to be provided for those able to work, children to be apprenticed to a trade.

Question 24

overall treatment of the poor

Answer 24

The Elizabethan government had taken upon itself the responsibility of ensuring a minimum level of subsistence for the deserving poor. This was a legislative achievement that remained intact until 1834. In contrast, the treatment of the underserving poor remained harsh. More help was provided by charitable giving for poor relief than through compulsory levies,

Question 25

evaluation of poor law legislation

Answer 25

much of the legislation was a reaction to problems posed by the poor rather than an attempt to tackle the causes of poverty, in which case Elizabethan government was not successful.