The ‘problem’ of the poor Flashcards

All 7 cards in this deck

How did population growth increase poverty in Elizabethan England?

The population rose by about a million, so there were not enough jobs and food prices rose faster than wages.

How did the dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s contribute to Elizabethan poverty?

There was less help for the poor, who could no longer claim alms or find work in religious houses.

What was the legal distinction between the 'deserving' (impotent) poor and the 'idle' poor?

The deserving poor, such as the aged, sick and orphans, could not work and deserved relief; the idle poor could work but chose not to, and were punished.

What did the Act for the Relief of the Poor (1576) do?

It required Justices of the Peace to help the able-bodied poor find paid work, providing them with raw materials such as wool.

How did the Vagabonds Act (1572) punish vagrants?

A first offence meant a whipping and a hole burned through the ear. Persistent vagrants faced harsher punishment, and a third offence could bring the death penalty.

What change to poor relief did the Vagabonds Act (1572) introduce?

A compulsory national poor rate, a local tax to support the deserving poor, with Justices of the Peace keeping a register of the poor.

How did enclosure increase poverty in Elizabethan England?

Landowners fenced off common land for profitable farming, often sheep for wool, so poorer families lost land they relied on and many had to leave to look for work.