To what extent was the provisions of the PLAA a real departure from poor relief in the years 1785 to 1834? Flashcards
How should this question be approached?
Pick out themes that were wrong with the old Poor Law and then the continuity or change due to the PLAA 1834
What are the four factors used to assess the change?
1) Money
2) Extent of Provision
3) Impact on Paupers
4) punishment/support
How much did it cost to keep a Pauper in a workhouse vs how much for outdoor relief?
It cost 4s 8d /week to keep a pauper in a workhouse, but only 2s 3d for outdoor relief.
Why was cost so important when determining relief?
Guardians concerned with keeping costs low for their parish
What did Historian George Boyer say?
It cost 50-100% more for indoor relief than outdoor relief
How much did it cost to open Banbury workhouse?
£6200
How many people did Banbury workhouse house?
300
Which historian estimated that it cost 50-100% more for indoor relief than Outdoor relief?
George Boyer
Where was the cost of Outdoor Poor Relief a particular impediment?
North of England where guardians resisted spending large amounts of money.
What is the main difference between the PLAA and previous poor provision?
The main difference is the punishment through the workhouses and the idea that poverty was the fault of the poor person.
What fact shows that there was significant change due to the number of workhouses built immediately after the PLAA?
402 workhouses built immediately afterwards
Which areas had particularly big opposition?
Lancashire and Yorkshire
The opposition in Lancashire and Yorkshire was so great that what happened in 1838?
1838 the Poor Law Commission allowed the use of old Poor Law methods should the need arise
What did the fact that the law was not consistently applied across the country mean?
many paupers felt that they were exempt from it and tried to influence sympathetic guardians
What, in the north of england, meant that it was ill suited to workhouses?
Cyclical unemployment
