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29 Cards in this Set
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Elizabethan poor law |
A collection of laws starting 1601 to the end of the 18th century The basis for providing assistance to those in need Called the old poor law Parish officials responsible for setting poor rate, deciding who gets it and how indoor or outdoor |
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Elizabethan poor law failures |
Beginning of the 19th century many people criticised the old poor law as it was failing to meet the needs of the new mobilised population The issues were then made worse with the Napoleonic wars |
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Poor rate |
A tax decided on at parish level and then given to those who needed relief |
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Old poor law - work of parishes |
Parishes responsible for administering poor law. Not untill mid 18th century did parishes actually pay their officials. Parishes should give out relief to its own poor and collect taxes Overseer of poor elected by parish who was in charge of administration Having parishes administer relief was believed to be better as the officials would know those in need |
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Catergorising the poor |
However they missed out indigence - this meant someone who can't support themselves Many writers saw poverty as being necessary as the fear of poverty would make people work However they missed out indigence - this meant someone who can't support themselve Deserving poor - poverty wasn't their fault e.g. old and sick Undeserving - moral failures However they needed to balance how much relief given as everyone would become dependent |
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Importantance of settlement |
Each parish should look after its own but this led to problems e.g. look after those born there or lived there Elizabethan law early 19th century - person claiming releif should return to their birth place or a place where they lived for a year or more of the last parish they went to with no problems with the law there |
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Settlement act |
1662 - it tried to clarify matters, legal settlement was birth, marriage or inheritance Strangers staying in parishes could be removed if not working Settlement further tightened in 1697 when strangers could be barred from parishes unless they had a settlement certificate Removal act 1795 - strangers couldn't be removed unless they asked for relief |
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Evaluation of the settlement laws |
The laws were introduced to control the population and make sure parishes were not overwhelmed The laws were unable to prevent the population creating huge cities as overseers couldn't keep up with thousands of people moving |
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Outdoor relief |
Parishes generally provided outdoor relief for able-bodied paupers in their own homes Was given to families when the main breadwinner had cyclical unemployment -temporary Outdoor relief was geared towards pre-industrial population so the revolution in 1750 tested the system Late 18th century saw several bad harvests and the Napoleonic wars brought the poor law to a standstill National solution proposed by PM William Pitt was ignored as he wanted an increase in wage Parishes instead adopted other solutions |
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Speenhamland system |
One of the systems adopted by parishes after the failure of the old poor law Most widely used allowance system, introduced in 1795 The system involved giving bread/flour amount depended on family members The system was used in southeast in slack times of the year - early 19th century saw the end of cottage industries work done at home like weaving or spinning System not used in rural areas where livestock farming available all year round |
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Roundsman system |
System found work for unemployed paupers Able-bodied paupers sent to local farmers for work Wages came from farmers and the parish Paupers given a ticket, the employer would sign it and the parish would pay the difference |
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Labour rate |
Parishes agreed on a labour rate which labours had to pay if they did they didn't pay poor rates This was better than the roundsman system where employers would let the parish pay it all By 1832 1/5 parishes were using some kind of labour rate |
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Workhouses and poorhouses |
Elizabethan poor law introduced these Impotent/deserving poor went to poorhouses to be cared for (indoor relief) Paupers sent to workhouses and children learnt a trade This wasn't cost effective for parishes so they joined together to construct and maintain workhouses - Exeter, Hereford, Gloucester and Plymouth combinedBy 1780 there were 2000 workhouses combined By 1780 there were 2000 workhouses |
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Why the poor law was reformed at the end of the 18th century |
1782 - saw reform of poor laws due to soliders returning form American War of Independence. Enclosure of great open fields reduced jobs. Depopulation of countryside due to industrialisation Fears that parishes whether combined or not wouldn't be able to cope Thomas Gilbert MP for Lichfield presented a bill which rapidly passed through parliament |
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Gilbert's act |
1782 Parishes could combine in poor law/gilberts unions for construction of workhouses Overseers replaced by paid guardians appointed by magistrates Able-bodied workers not allowed in Gilbert union workhouses as they were for the sick sick children Parish guardian had to find work for able-bodied workers if nothing found outdoor relief then issued Act was permissive even though Gilbert wanted in to be mandatory Parishes initially slow adopt the act but the 1834 new poor law convinced 924 parishes combined into 67 Gilbert unions |
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Sturges-borne act |
These acts were permissive and introduced by William Sturges-borne First act in 1818 changed how parish select vestries were elected - these were responsible for administering poor law, someone who owned £50 worth of land had 1 vote and another one for further £25 up to 6 votes 2nd act introduced in 1819 said vestries had to consider undeserving and deserving poor when handing out relief By 1825 there were 46 vestries and a drop in the cost of relief |
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Less eligibility and workhouse test |
Introduced with the new poor act from 1834 George Nicholls overseer of or poor in Southwell and Rev Robert Lowe wanted to eradicate outdoor relief Lowe introduced less eligibility - paupers would work if they feared the workhouse so conditions in the workhouse had to be worse than anywhere else The workhouse test tested to see what paupers were truly destitute to go to a workhouse |
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Impact of the wars with France |
End of the wars with France in 1783-1814 led to greater demands for reform Harvests of 1813/4 were good in Europe so cheap corn could be imported - this meant English farmers had to keep prices low - many went bankrupt resuting in them and their employees turning to pauperism In 1815 Tory government introduced corn laws, banned imported corn untill British corn reached 80 shillings a quarter Many disliked this as it kept the price of corn artificially high led to riots and violence Post war distress led to even more claiming relief 1817-19 saw 8million per year being spent on poor relief |
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Agricultural unrest - swing riots |
Rural poor in 1830 started to burn barns and destroy machines They wanted higher wages and removal of machines that took their jobs Village or Brede group of labourers wanted higher allowances and the removal of assistant overseer who was infamous for removing paupers Many towns saw something similar with threats and protests Petitions were signed 'Captain Swing' gave the idea of an organiser revoltbm Home secretary lord Melbourne wanted it to be delath with due to a revolution happening in France |
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Increasing cost of providing poor relief |
Cost of relief was rising at an alarming rate by 1829 average expenditure was 6,758 Mobility of population made it hard to tax people to pay for relief Urban and rural parishes could not afford to pay |
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Regional differences - Nottinghamshire experiment |
Industrial county had a thriving framework knitting industry and industrial expansion provided others with employment in the downtimes In 1820 there average expenditure was below average, success was because of individuals: J.T. Becher of Southwell was behind the amalgamation of 49 parishes into a Gilbert union which created 2 deterrent workhouses Robert Lowe of Bingham wanted by 1818 the abolishment of outdoor relief by making the workhouse a place of fear George Nicholls retired sea captain move to Southwell believe allowance systems and outdoor relief were letting poverty live, also wanted deterrent workhouses |
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Regional differences - Gloucestershire |
1830 Lloyd Baker started reforming poor law administration in Uley Allowance system in full swing and rigorous reforms led to a fall from 977 paupers to 125 Did this by abolishing the outdoor relief and making the workhouse a place to fear |
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Regional differences - Cookham |
Thomas Whately of Cookham When able-bodied paupers asked for releif he offered them work at lower wages - 63 people left the parish London, Bristol and Norwich adopted this as well |
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Thomas Malthus |
Was an economist studying population He argued population always riser and outstrip all food supplies, poor law made it worse as it encouraged people to have children which lowered food Favoured the abolition of the poor law so families had to be small as they got no extra relief |
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David Ricardo |
Was a political economist who also wanted the abolishment of the poor laws Published On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation in 1817 Book stated the idea of iron wages where more poor relief meant less wages so he wanted to get rid of poor law |
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Thomas Paine |
Writer who criticised the poor law bechaee it was inadequate He proposed property tax on the very rich to support the poor like OAP |
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Robert Owen |
Was a radical factory owner who blamed the economic system on creating poverty At his New Lanark site in Scotland he tested ideas; No adult to work more than 10.5 hours Sick pay provide me Children had to be educated until 10 His mill then started to run profit |
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Utilitarianism |
Developed by Jeremy Bentham stated that society should be organised so I have greatest amount of happiness is achieved He believed relief was a responsibility of the gov, all outdoor relief abolished and no discrimination between deserving and undeserving - both destitute He inspired a group of men known as the Philosophical Radicals |
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Government action in 1832 |
Election in 1831 the Whig government winning They wanted parliamentry reform but the public persuaded them to focus on poor laws Lord Chancellor, Lord Brougham (a benthamite) said the gov would simplify the poor laws In 1832 a royal commission would investigate into the operation of poor laws |
