The Problem Of The Poor Flashcards

1
Q

What would happen to an Elizebethen who couldn’t work?

A

Poverty - may lead to illness and starvation

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2
Q

What was a big concern about?

A

People who were poor enouh to need financial help, or who begged or were homeless

Itinerants

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3
Q

What was an itinerant?

A

Someone who moved away from their home parish looking for work

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4
Q

What was someone who moved away from their home parish looking for work called?

A

Itinerants

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5
Q

What was a “poor” person?

A

Someone who soent 80% of their income on bread

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6
Q

What did a survey in Norich in 1570 show?

A

40% of the poor were 16 or under

Lots of families headed by women (often widows) were poor (as they got payed a lot less)

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7
Q

What factors lead to an increase in the poor?

A

Population growth
Rising prices
Changes to the countryside

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8
Q

Hwo much did population grow in Elizebeth’s reign?

A

35%

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9
Q

What was the population of London in 1603?

A

150,000

X10 the size of the next larges city Norwich

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10
Q

What did the cities rely on the countryside on?

How did population change efect the price of food?

A

Food

Because there were more people food prices rose

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11
Q

Why did rising prices effect poverty?

A

There were some bad harvests
Food growth grew slover than population growth
Wages didn’ rise as fast as prices
As population grew labour became cheaper as there was more demand that ment that sometimes wages actualy decreased. Rent increased due to the increased population
People were evicted to make way for sheep farming

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12
Q

How did the countryside change?

A

More sheep farming
Enclosure
Land values and rent

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13
Q

How much of England’s export were wool and wollen cloth?

A

81.6%

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14
Q

Why did sheep farming grow?

A

It became very profitable

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15
Q

How many sheep may a sheep farm have?

A

Over 2,000 sheep

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16
Q

Why was sheep farming a problem?

A

It took up land onced used for crops or common land

Farming sheep didn’t require as much labour so unemployment rose

Feeding the sheep ment that some crops were “wasted” on sheep and not humans

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17
Q

What does enclosing land mean?

A

When an individual replaced large open fields that were farmed by mamy vilagers with individuals fields belonging to one person.

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18
Q

Why did enclosure cause?

A

It lead to depolpulation of rural areas

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19
Q

Why did farmers enclose the land?

A

Farming techniques improved

Having animals in enclosed spaces stopped them from trampaling other crops

As animals became better (through breeding) farmers didn’t want them wandering off

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20
Q

What did the new farming techniques include?

A

Improving land through land draniage and better use of fertiliser

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21
Q

What was it called when a farmer did animal and crop farming?

A

Up and down husbandry

22
Q

Why was it beneficial to use up and down husbandry farming?

A

The sheep would fertilse the land so the next yesr the crops would grow better

23
Q

Why did enclosur increase poverty?

A

More efficent farming led to fewer labourers needed
Sheep farming required less labourers anyway
This also ment that labourers wages decreased
A lot of common land was enclosed - leading to great anger
Increased vagabondage

24
Q

What were common lands?

A

Lands where it was the peoples right to use eg collect fore wood or graze their animals there.

This may be where you grew your crops to survive

25
Q

Why was their a lot of anger for sheep farmers?

Specific example?

A

Sir Thomas Smith wrote an article in the 1560 blaming the yeomen and nobility of putting profits before making food for the people.

26
Q

At the end of the 16th centery how much kand was enclosed?

A

2-3%

27
Q

What was a vagabond?

A

(Or vagrents) they were homeless people without a job who roamed the countryside begging, stealing money to live

They lived outside the heirachy and often the law so they were feared

28
Q

What made the problem of vagabondage worse?

A

Depopulation from the rural areas, many people had to turn to stealing or vagabondage to stay alive

29
Q

Give an example of when life in the cities become worse?

A

Economic ressesion

When there was a trade embargo with the Spansih Netherlands it led to a loss of Jobs

30
Q

What was financial help for the poor called?

A

Poor relief

31
Q

How was poor relief payed for?

Who organised it?

A

Special taxes, the poor rate

Justices of Peace (JP’s)
Many christians saw it as their duty to help so individual charity was another source of help

32
Q

What were people who were unable to work due to injury or sickness called?

A

Impotent / deserving poor

33
Q

What were people called who were able to work but didn’t called?

A

Able bodied or idle poor

34
Q

How were able bodied or idle poor treated?

A

Very harshly

35
Q

What punishments could vagrents face is caught?

A

Whipping

Imprisonment

36
Q

Why was able bodied poor people a problem?

A

They were very noticable in cities
People who lost their livehoods (farms possible due to enclosure) would go to the cities to work so it was very noticable

37
Q

In what years was cloth trade especially bad?

What did this led to?

A

15:
63,64,68,69,70,71,72,73,86,87,88

Economic ressesion and an imcrease in poor (especialy able bodied poor)

38
Q

When were the 3 key laws to help the poor passed?

A

1563,1572,1576 (years of the Spanish Fury)

39
Q

What law was passed in 1563?

A

The Statute of Artificers

40
Q

What did the The Statute of Artificers do?

A

To ensure poor relief was collected

Anyone who refused to pay the poor was imprisoned
Officals gailing to organsise poor relief could be fined up to £20

41
Q

What law was passed in 1572?

A

The Vagabond Act

42
Q

What did The Vagabond Act do?

A

Ir’s aim was to deter vagrancy

Vagrents who were caught were to be whipped and have a hole drilled through each ear

They would be arrested if caught another time, have the death penalty of caught a third time

It also established a national poor rate (first time this happened)
JP’s were to kepp a register of the poor
Towns and cities were given responsibilities to find work for the abke bodied poor

43
Q

What law was passed in 1576?

A

The Poor Relief Act

44
Q

What did The Poor Relief Act do?

A

It’s aim was to distinguish between impotent and able bodied poor and to help the able bodied poor find work

JP’s provided the able bodied poor with wool and raw mayerials enablining them to work be making things to sell

Those who refused to work where they were given special help were sent to a prison funded by poor rates known as the house of corrections

45
Q

What was the house of corrections?

Which law started them?

A

A prison where able bodied poor who were given special help were sent if they refused to work.

It was payed for by the poor relief

1576 Poor Relief Act

46
Q

What Act/Statue set up the first national poor rate?

A

1572 Vagabonds Act

47
Q

What factors made poverty worse?

A

Writers wrote things that made people fear vagabonds

Conflict with Spain (trade embargos and the situation in The Netherlands)

48
Q

What was a weekness with the Vagabonds act?

A

Some local records show that only 10% of vagrents were whipped. They were pittied and therefore were given money and sent on their way

49
Q

What was one of the first places to try and help the poor?

A

Ipswich

As early as 1569

50
Q

What did Ipswich do?

A

Ahead of most of the rest of the country…

Theu set up schools and hospitals for the poor