Unit 3.3 Paupers & Pauperism 1780-1832 Flashcards
Poverty
Households that earn below 60% of the median income meaning that they cannot enjoy the standard things that other people can
Factors that lead to poverty today and in history?
War e.g. Boer War - tax increases to pay for the debt made during war
Disease - cannot work - due to pollution and less germ knowledge
Industrial Revolution replacing some jobs
Societal hierarchy and what class youre born into and discrimination between classes
Corruption in government & capitalism
Who is responsible for looking after the poor in history?
Government - ministry of health
Charities and philanthropists
Councils and parishes
Normal people and tax payers (indirectly) as they pay tax to support the poor
Who mainly helped the poor before 1834?
The parish
Church
Who was deserving of support?
Those were living in poverty or those who couldn’t work
Who wasnt deserving of support? Why?
Those who had work or those who could work but didnt want to - it was seen as a sin to not work when you could
What were the roles of the parish?
They set the poor rate
Determined who was eligible for relief
Decided what sort of relief should be given
Poor rate
Compulsory tax which was used to provide relief for the poor
Who determined how much relief was given to people?
Church wardens, local farmers or respectable home owners - they were unpaid, non professionals - overseers of the poor
What was the role of the overseers of the poor?
They were the people who determined how much relief was given to people
Who appointed the overseers of the poor?
The local justices of peace appointed 1-2 every year
What was settlement act in the 1600s? What year was it?
1662 - It said the parish responsible for giving relief was the one where the person was born, married, served an apprenticeship or inherited property and you could only get help from them
Why was the settlement act introduced?
So that people couldn’t travel around and get support from different parishes or there would be an unequal distribution of support
What was a parish?
Parish = local council
Good things about the system of looking after the poor until 1834?
It was controlled by lower class - understood the people who needed relief
Overseers were frequently replaced - so that no one began to exploit the handling of the support
Local people ran the system - saw the needs of the people in the area
Poor rates were spent by parish on local needs - different types of poverty in different areas so all needed different things
Problems with the system of looking after the poor until 1834?
Overseers were not skilled and had no experience
Others funded the relief for the poor - created anger and resentment between classes
Settlement act of 1662 was difficult to enforce with a population that was frequently moving to industrial towns by the 1700s - urbanisation
Local crisis’s (e.g. bad harvest) may have affected the relief given to the poor
Pauper
Someone who received poor relief
Indigent
People unable to support themselves
5 groups that paupers were categorised into?
Deserving poor
Undeserving poor
Impotent poor
Idle poor
Able bodied poor
Deserving poor
People who were poor based on no fault of their own and were therefore worthy of relief
Examples of those who were considered deserving poor?
Elderly, sick, children
Undeserving poor
Those whose poverty was as a result of some perceived moral failure such as drunkenness or prostitution - it was said that their poverty was as punishment from God
Impotent poor
Paupers who could not look after themselves even when times were good
Examples of those classified as impotent poor?
Disabled people
Elderly
What support would impotent people receive?
Food
Clothing
You’d be put into a poor house
Idle poor
Those who refused to work and lived a life of begging or crime
Where would the idle poor be put?
Correction houses
Able bodied poor
Paupers who wanted relief but were able to work
What relief was given to the able bodied poor
Food
Clothing
They’d be put in a workhouse
Given apprenticeships
Workhouse
A place where paupers worked, and in exchange were given a place to live and were given food
Poorhouse
A place where paupers lived and were looked after, it was paid for by the parish
When was the Elizabethan poor law (poor relief act) (old poor law) introduced?
1601
When was the Elizabethan poor law replaced?
1834 - it lasted 233 years but amendments were made to it
Indoor relief
Relief provided to paupers inside a workhouse or inside a different place but not inside their own homes
Almshouse
It was owned by the church and was a place where paupers could live for free
4 reasons why was indoor relief attractive for parishes?
- It was cheaper to run than outdoor relief
- Workhouses could sell the work that the inmates made which made the poor self supporting
- Paupers were put off entering workhouses which was intensified by the ‘workhouse test act’ of 1723 that said conditions in a workhouse must be less comfortable than on the outside - meant that only the truly poor wanted to go in and less wanted relief in general
- Parishes could amalgamate with other parishes to provide support - became known as unions
What is an example of parishes that amalgamated?
Bristol and Exeter
By what year had half of the parishes in Suffolk joined together to provide indoor relief?
By 1780, half of the parishes in Suffolk had joined together to provide indoor relief
What year was the workhouse test act introduced?
The workhouse test act was introduced in 1723
By the end of the 18th century how many parishes were running their own workhouses? What does this show?
By the end of 18th century, 1 in 7 parishes were running their own workhouses - shows the idea of indoor relief was popular amongst the parishes in England and Wales for many reasons
How many workhouses and workhouse inmates were there by the end of the 18th century?
There were 2000 workhouses providing relief for 90,000 inmates by the end of the 18th century
What specifically was offered in indoor relief?
Food
Shelter/a place to live
Work
Apprenticeships
Education to children - educating them to work in specific jobs
What 4 types houses could paupers be put in as part of indoor relief?
Poorhouses
Workhouses
Almshouses
Houses of correction
What category of pauper lived in a poorhouse?
Impotent poor
What category of pauper lived in an almshouse?
Impotent poor
What category of pauper lived in a house of correction?
Idle poor
When was indoor relief introduced?
1601
Did the desire for indoor relief rise? When?
Yes, the desire for indoor relief rose rapidly between 1601 to 1834
What was the most popular form of relief? Indoor or outdoor?
Outdoor relief even though indoor relief rose rapidly
Outdoor relief
Where paupers stayed in their homes but received support
What are 2 examples of early workhouses?
1628 - Readings and Sheffields first work house
1650 - London first work house
What were 2 workhouse administrative changes?
The poor relief act (Gilberts act)
Sturges-Bourne reforms
Gentry
People of the upper middle class like landowners
Vestry
a governing body for a parish in England and Wales that managed church and local affairs
Who was Thomas Gilbert?
The head of over 60 gilbert union workhouses
He wanted them to be more cost effective and efficient
What year did Gilbert sponsor the poor relief act (Gilbert’s act)? What did this act show?
1782 - Gilbert sponsored the poor relief act (Gilbert’s act)
This act showed how the scope of indoor relief was expanded and also brought the gentry closer in involvement in poor relief administration
4 key advantages of the poor relief act (Gilberts act)?
- Parishes could combine as one union for the purpose of maintaining workhouses - encouraged the gentry to take responsibility of the poor in their parishes
- Overseers of the poor were replaced by guardians from the union who were appointed by local magistrates - the guardians had links to the workhouse, streamlining the system
- Guardians were required to submit annual returns of poor law expenditure - allowed parish to keep a record of what was spent on poor relief - easier to keep track and manage
- Ministers and church wardens were required to provide information about local charities that also provided poor relief - this was humanitarian - for the benefit of the people
1 key disadvantage of the poor relief act (Gilberts act)?
Able bodied workers were excluded from gilbert union workhouses which would only be for the aged, sick or children - his workhouses were more almshouses as a result - limited the number of people given relief
Who was William Sturges-Bourne?
He was the chair of the House of Commons poor law committee
He attempted to improve the indoor relief administration and the get the gentry on side
3 key advantages of the Sturges-Bourne reforms?
- They set up a new voting system for those in the parish - parishioners could vote for the guardians/overseers of the poor with their vote counting more if they had a higher status - gave the upper class more of a say in how the poor rate was spent, encouraging them to take an interest in the poor relief
- A clergyman became a member of the vestry who would decide whether the poor were deserving or undeserving which would only be overturned if 2 justices of peace disagreed - more fair decisions were made
- By 1825, 46 vestries had reduced the cost of their poor relief
By 1825 how many vestries reduced the cost of their poor relief? Why?
By 1825, 46 vestries reduced the cost of their poor relief due to the Sturges-Bourne reforms
2 key disadvantages of the Sturges-Bourne reforms?
- Reductions of the cost of the poor relief were often at the expense of the impoverished - not all of those who refused relief by the clergy men were beggars
- The upper class were mainly in charge of the poor relief - they didn’t understand the severity of being poor
General opinion of the success of indoor relief
Generally, I do think that indoor relief was fairly successful. I think it was very popular and the desire for it rapidly increased, meaning that ultimately more people were helped. However, I would say that the conditions in workhouses and other types of indoor relief weren’t necessary the best or most hygienic. Meaning, the poor didnt entirely live happy and comfortable lives even after the reforms of indoor relief.
Outdoor relief
Poor relief in the form of money, clothing, wage subsidies, food etc. where paupers weren’t given a place to live
Key facts about outdoor relief?
Easy to manage and flexible in terms of what it provided to the poor
1750 - there was an increase in population and poor harvests due to Napoleonic wars having put a high demand on poor relief requests - the parishes had to adopt different solution to provide relief outside the workhouse
All of these solutions attempted to supplement the wages paid by employers - these solutions were known as: the Speenhamland System, the Roundsman system and the Labour Rate
What was the Speenhamland system?
It was one of the most widely used allowance systems and was introduced in 1795 by magistrates at speenhamland in Berkshire - subsidised low wages, established from the price of bread and the number of dependants in a family, it was also where people claimed relief whilst working
When was the Speenhamland system introduced?
1795
What were success of the Speenhamland system?
It was widely adopted in the south and the east of Britain at the beginning of the 19th century
What were failures of the Speenhamland system?
Seasonal employment had always been around since the late 18th century, but there was a loss of cottage industries and a lack of availability of allotments where villagers could work
Allowances systems were rarely used in the rural north where livestock farming provided full employment
It never received legal backing and it was abandoned or modified out of all recognition as overseers struggled to cope with changing economic conditions (particularly after 1815) - it was said that farmers paid very low wages as they knew workers could claim relief
What was the Roundsman system?
Made sure that some work was found from able bodied people in parishes where there were too many paupers looking for jobs. They were sent in rotation to local farmers who would give them work that needed doing. Wages were payed for by the farmers and the parish.
What were successes of the Roundsman system?
The wages paid were based on the size of paupers family or price of bread or sometimes a flat rate would be paid
What were failures of the Roundsman system?
The proportion of the wage paid by the parish increased - farmers took advantage of the system as they didnt have to pay a set proportion of the wage
It only applied to able bodied poor
Parishes quickly abandoned the system
What was the Labour Rate?
A different way of providing relief - there was an agreement between parishioners to establish a labour rate in addition to the usual poor rate
What were successes of the Labour Rate?
Those who employed paupers and paid them the labour rate at the rate set by parish, they were exempt from paying poor rates - stopped abuse that was present in the Roundsman system where wages were nominal and where parishes paid most of the wage
What were failures of the Labour Rate?
Only 1 in 5 parishes used this - showed that it lacked popularity as a concept but still more popular than workhouses where 1in 7 parishes had a workhouse
What were some reasons why poor law may have been opposed?
-Cost of maintaining outdoor relief was too high
-The quality of indoor relief had deteriorated
-The population in England was increasing (Industrial Revolution, migration, improved healthcare etc.) - more people claimed relief
-Not applied consistently across country (regional differences)
-Ending of the wars with France
-Fear of revolution (swing riots)
What were the 5 pressures for change to the old poor law?
- Wars with france
- Swing riots
- Regional differences
- Ideological arguments
- Utilitarianism
What years did the wars with france occur during?
1783-1815
Did the wars in france lead to more demands for poor relief? Why?
Yes - there was especially pressure to provide sufficient relief too and at a level required by its own regulations - due to soldiers returning home after the Napoleonic wars
What did the wars with france nearly do to the poor relief system?
Nearly led it to a collapse
When were the corn laws introduced?
1815
What did the corn laws state?
They placed tariffs on imported corn and imported corn should be banned
Why were the corn laws introduced?
The harvests of 1813 and 1814 were very good and lots of crops were being imported from Europe - thus the costs of producing corn was low and people began to buy European corn as it was so good and cheap to produce - this led to farmers having to ask for relief themselves as they weren’t making any money
Which government introduced the corn laws?
The tory government
What did the corn laws encourage?
Encouraged people to buy English corn even though it was still very expensive
What did the corn laws lead to? Why?
Riots up and down the country - many people resented the cron laws and they believed that the laws kept the price of bread artificially high
As a result of post war distress, what happened to the expenditure on poor relief? Why?
In the years 1817-1819, expenditure reached £8 million a year - people began to see relief as a right - more people than ever claimed relief which was intensified by the returning soldiers
As a result of the riots due to the corn laws, what did the government do?
They repealed Habeas Corpus and introduced the Six Acts
What was Habeas corpus?
The at of 1679 that prevented people being imprisoned in secret
What were the Six Acts?
Acts that prevented meetings of more than 50 people and made freedom of speech an offence
What did the corn laws lead to the determining of?
The idea that the poor laws were actually causes of poverty and breached human rights - recommendations began to make change
Why were there ‘swing riots’?
Paupers in rural areas demanded higher wages and the removal of steam powered threshing machines
Why were paupers upset with the use of steam powered threshing machines?
They began to replace people - this left many unemployed
What truly happened in the swing riots?
Paupers burned down workhouses
There were attacks against the ‘overseers of the poor’ by committing arson
Machines were smashed
Burned haystacks
In how many counties did the swing riots take place in?
Over 20 counties
What is an example of a village where paupers demanded change?
Brede, Sussex
Group of labourers demanded higher allowances in outdoor relief
Demanded for the removal of mr Abel who was an assistant overseers
They frightened the gentry - led to the gentry agreeing to both demands
What is an example of where a workhouse was pulled down?
Hampshire
Paupers argued against tithes, steam machines and overseers of the poor
They extracted written assurances from 2 vicars that the tithes would be reduced
A workhouse was ultimately pulled down
Why were the swing riots called swing riots?
The petitions and threats were signed ‘Captain Swing’ - this also gave the impression of an organised revolt
What was the threats being signed Captain swing enough for? What happened as a result?
Authorities to believe there was revolution on their hands - intensified through the recent revolution in france - as a result the home security appointed a special commission of 3 judges
How many rioters were sentenced to death?
19
How many rioters were sentenced to transportation to Australia?
400
How many rioters were imprisoned?
644
Where did the swing riots mainly take place?
The rural south
Why were there regional differences?
Due to how parishes operated poor relief and due to the number of people claiming poor relief
Some facts about Nottinghamshire?
5th most industrialised county in Britain
Relief below national average - In 1820-1823, the per capita relief was 11 shillings
Relatively prosperous
Even though the expenditure was well below the national average, why was Nottinghamshire regarded a region with exemplary relief?
- The reverend becher combined 49 parishes as a Gilbert union and built 2 new workhouses - there were also deterrent workhouses yet insisted on kindness to the aged, infirm, and to children
- The reverend Lowe insisted that outdoor relief should be abolished and the workhouse should be a place of fear
- George Nicholls, an overseer, said allowances were the reason so many claimed poor relief and as a result as a reason for poverty, so he abolished them
When did the parishes in Nottinghamshire join Gilbert’s act union?
1823, there was 49 of them
When were workhouse schools introduced for children? Where?
Nottinghamshire in 1823
What are the 3 areas that you look at specifically as examples of regional differences?
Gloucestershire
Berkshire
Nottinghamshire
Who was JP Lloyd Baker?
A justice of peace in Gloucestershire
What did JP Baker do? Impacts of this?
Abolished outdoor relief like the speenhamland system and made the workhouse so dreadful that only the desperate would seek admission - supported workhouse test act 1723
Created an annual relief bill of £3,185
No. Of paupers fell from 977 to 125 in 2 years
What approach did reverend thomas whately have? In what region?
In Berkshire, Whately reduced the rate at which he would pay the able bodied to a much lower price than if they got a job themselves
As a result of Whatelys policies, what happened?
63 paupers left - paupers began to claim less relief or left
What did the regional differences lead to the determining of?
Parishes were being more aggressive to relieve the cost of their relief - regional differences were huge - there were pressure therefore to unit and reform the system for moral and economic prosperity
What other places introduced similar acts to Gloucestershire?
Cornwall
Derbyshire
What other places introduced similar acts to Berkshire?
London
Bristol
Who was William Cobbet?
A political radical
Said to have organised some of the swing riots
Opposed many policies like the policies in place in Gloucestershire
Who were the 4 people with ideological arguments?
- Thomas Malthus
- David Ricardo
- Thomas Paine
- Robert Owen
Which of the 4 supported the old poor law?
Thomas Paine
Robert Owen
Which of the 4 opposed the old poor law?
Thomas Malthus
David Ricardo
What did Thomas Malthus argue?
Poor Law encouraged the poor to have more children so that they could claim more relief (you were given more relief depending on the size of the family)
Poor Law should be scrapped and the poor would therefore reduce the number of children they had - meaning everyone would prosper
What did David Ricardo argue?
Due to so much money being given via poor relief, the wages of genuine workers were impacted and they themselves were forced into pauperism
There was was only one way to break the cycle and that was through abandoning the poor law
What did Thomas Paine propose?
A property tax on the vey rich to be used to pay for family allowances and old age pensions - didn’t want to remove poor law but rather wanted to reform it
Who was Thomas Malthus?
Economist who specialised in the study of population
What did David Ricardo write? When?
‘On the principles of political economy and taxation’ in 1817
Who was Thomas Paine?
Writer and Republican
What did Thomas Paine believe?
All able bodied poor should go to workhouses before they could receive relief
Who was Robert Owen?
Radical factory owner
What did Robert Owen argue?
The abuse of the factory system heightened poverty
Capitalism created poverty
What did Robert Owen build? Where?
A factory community with schools, no corporal punishment, restriction on working hours etc. - in New Lanarck in Scotland
What did the factory community result in?
There being no need for poor relief for anyone other than the impotent poor
What did the Ideological arguments lead to the determining of?
There were desires to reform the elegibility of the poor law and how the poor rate was funded led reforms to the old poor law
What is utilitarianism?
A theory that states society should secure the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people of people - it underpinned the reforms of the first half of the 19th century in particular the poor law amendment act of 1834
Who developed utilitarianism?
Jeremy Bentham
Who did Bentham influence?
A group of men called the philosophical radicals
What did Bentham argue?
The idea of utilitarianism and thus:
Poor relief was everyone’s responsibility and there should be no discrimination between the deserving and undeserving poor
All outdoor relief should be abolished and relief should be given to those prepared to enter workhouses
