13. Changing attitudes after PLAA

Question 1

Government attitudes

In what year was the Outdoor Labour Test Order passed, allowing the use of outdoor relief for able-bodied workers during times of economic decline?

Answer 1

1842

Question 2

Government attitudes

What did the Outdoor Labour Test Order allow despite the PLAA prohibiting it?

Answer 2

The use of outdoor relief for able-bodied workers during times of economic decline

Question 3

Government attitudes

Who opposed the Outdoor Labour Test Order and why?

Answer 3

Local boards opposed it because they felt that their discretionary power was being infringed upon by the state.

Question 4

Government Attitudes

In what year was the Metropolitan Poor Act passed?

Answer 4

1867

Question 5

Government Attitudes

What did the Metropolitan Poor Act establish?

Answer 5

It established the Metropolitan Asylum Board, which took over the responsibility of caring for the sick paupers and separated medical facilities from the workhouse.

Question 6

Government attitudes

What was the purpose of the Metropolitan Asylum Board?

Answer 6

The purpose was to provide specialised care for the sick and to modernise the system of general poor relief.

Question 7

Government attitudes

How did the Metropolitan Poor Act involve the poor in finding solutions?

Answer 7

It began to involve the poor in finding solutions rather than treating them as the problem that needed solving.

Question 8

Government Attitudes

In what year was the Outdoor Relief Prohibitory Order passed?

Answer 8

1844

Question 9

Government Attitudes

What did the Outdoor Relief Prohibitory Order do?

Answer 9

It ended outdoor relief, suggesting that the government did not have a genuine concern for the poor’s welfare.

Question 10

Scandals

When was the Andover workhouse built and who was the master of the workhouse?

Answer 10

The Andover workhouse was built in 1836, and the master of the workhouse was ex-sergeant Colin M’Dougal.

Question 11

Scandals

What disturbing stories leaked about the Andover workhouse in 1845?

Answer 11

The stories suggested that inmates were so hungry they were eating raw flesh from animal bones while working in the Bone Crushing House.

Question 12

Scandals

What happened to ex-sergeant Colin M’Dougal after the investigation into the Andover workhouse?

Answer 12

M’Dougal was forced to resign but received no other punishment.

Question 13

Scandals

What were some of the hardships faced by residents in the workhouse?

Answer 13

• Unmarried mothers were forced to wear a yellow stripe
• Children’s milk was watered down
• Female residents were heavily assaulted by drunk M’Dougal
  -Children were flogged for bedwetting, and they had to eat pig scraps.

Question 14

Scandals

What was the purpose of the Workhouse Visiting Society, created in 1858?

Answer 14

The Workhouse Visiting Society carried out unofficial checks on workhouses to monitor their conditions.

Question 15

Scandals

In what year was the Poor Law Commission abolished, and what was introduced in its place?

Answer 15

The Poor Law Commission was abolished in 1847, and the Poor Law Board was introduced, bringing control over the Poor Law under government control.

Question 16

Scandals

Who sat on the Poor Law Board, and who was the president of the Board?

Answer 16

Several cabinet members sat on the Poor Law Board, and the president of the Board was also a Member of Parliament (MP).

Question 17

Scandals

How many workhouses were built between 1851 and 1866, in addition to the ones built following the 1834 PLAA?

Answer 17

100 workhouses were built between 1851 and 1866, adding to the 402 that had been built following the 1834 PLAA

Question 18

Individuals and Self-Help

Question 19

Individuals and Self-Help

Question 20

Individuals and Self Help

Who produced a four-volume work that depicted the life of Britain’s poor and challenged the idea that idleness led to poverty?

Answer 20

Henry Mayhew

Question 21

Individuals and Self Help

How many words were included in Henry Mayhew’s four-volume work?

Answer 21

2 million words

Question 22

Individuals and Self Help

What was significant about Henry Mayhew’s work on the life of Britain’s poor?

Answer 22

It was believed to be the first study of this topic constructed by an individual.

Question 23

Individuals and Self Help

What did Henry Mayhew’s work reveal about the poor?

Answer 23

It showed that insufficient wages, rather than idleness, made people dependent upon relief. The poor wanted to earn their way out of poverty but were unable to do so.

Question 24

Individuals and Self Help

How did Henry Mayhew’s work influence Victorian attitudes towards the poor?

Answer 24

It forced middle-class Victorians to consider a change in their attitudes towards the poor.

Question 25

Individuals and Self Help

In what year was Thomas Carlyle’s book ‘Past and Present’ published?

Answer 25

1843

Question 26

Individuals and Self Help

What did Thomas Carlyle’s book draw attention to?

Answer 26

It drew attention to the growing class divide and described workhouses as ‘Poor Law Prisons’.

Question 27

Individuals and Self Help

Who found Thomas Carlyle’s book ‘Past and Present’ influential?

Answer 27

Middle-class reformers found the book influential.

Question 28

Charity and Philanthropic Organisations

Who was Angelina Burdett-Coutts and what did she do to help the poor?

Answer 28

• The richest woman in England who raised opportunities for pauper children by funding education projects and finding them employment in the military
• She co-founded a hospital for poor women called Urania in 1847
• Her purpose was to provide the poor with skills to help them escape poverty and reduce pauperism in society.

Question 29

Charity and Philanthropic Organisations

What role did the Workhouse Visiting Society play in philanthropic work?

Answer 29

The Workhouse Visiting Society collected information on the lives of the poor, allowing for a more organised and formal approach to private relief. It also provided solid statistics to support philanthropic work.

Question 30

Charity and Philanthropic Organisations

What was the impact of The Lancet, a medical journal, on the quality of medical care in London workhouses?

Answer 30

The findings of The Lancet’s investigation into the quality of medical care in London workhouses led to the passage of the Metropolitan Poor Act in 1867.

Question 31

Charity and Philanthropic Organisations

Who founded the Charity Organisation Society and what was its purpose?

Answer 31

The Charity Organisation Society was founded by figures such as Helen Bosanquet in 1869.

Its purpose was to assess people into categories of deserving and undeserving poor in order to limit the relief given out by employers.

Question 32

Charity and Philanthropic Organisations

What motivated philanthropy in the 1850s, particularly for affluent women?

Answer 32

Part of the motivation for philanthropy in the 1850s was not mass concern for the poor but an opportunity for affluent women to participate in public affairs despite restrictive attitudes towards women. It provided a chance for them to participate more fully in society.

Question 33

What are the four areas for this plan?

Answer 33

1. Government Attitudes
2. Scandals
3. Individuals and Self Help
4. Charity and Philanthropic organisations