3.1 why did the population of britain increase in the years 1625-88 and what impact did this have?

Question 1

8 themes why did the population of britain increase in the years 1625-88 and what impact did this have?

Answer 1

migration
mortality
fertility
growth of london
growth of towns
impact on rural life
growth of poverty
changes to poor laws

Question 2

population 1520 - 1680 figures

Answer 2

2.5 million - 5 million (doubled)

Question 3

what was the population growth rate and where was the biggest proportion of the population?

Answer 3

0.5% per annum

3/4 population distributed in south east of england

Question 4

what percentage of population outside of london lived in towns (town if pop greater than 5,000)?

Answer 4

5% 1700

Question 5

2 reasons for the increase in population

Answer 5

migration

mortality and fertility

Question 6

migration as a reason for population growth?

Answer 6

immigration from 1651+ over commonwealth era due to relative religious freedom (refugees from holland, flanders and france= Huguenots)

• towns = greatest influx (Norwich pop = 35% immigrants by 1700)
• internal migration very high
• merchants, journeymen often migrated seasonally
• Kent = garden of england
• SE = granary of england
• regional poverty = push factor to areas with supposed better prospects

Question 7

mortality and fertility as a reason for population growth

Answer 7

decline in mortality rates
- decline in incidents of plague (gradual recovery from black death)
- decline in child mortality, women in childbirht and mid life mortality
-greater public awareness of how to manage plague (importance of isolation & now procedures to enforce like closing taverns when outbreaks)
increased fertility rates
- coincides with decline of mortality rates
- size of reproductive group increased (15-35)
increase in FECUNDITY rates (actual number of live births to fertile adult couples)
-decline in age of marriage = more children per couple

Question 8

demographic historians calculations of fertility from 1600 - 1680+

Answer 8

increased 1600-1640
declined 1640-80 (product of ECW and instability)
increased 1680+

Question 9

age of marriage during ECW compared to protectorate

Answer 9

ECW 24-26

protectorate 26-28 (increased)

Question 10

impact of population growth on urban areas (stats)

Answer 10

london = largest city in western europe (1650 = 400,000 - x10 bigger than next largest town)
population of london:
- 1520 2.25%
- 1650 7%
- 1700 9%
london growth fuelled by
- trade, commerce and colonial empire growth
- attraction from oversea migrants
increase in number of towns
- 8 in 1600
- 30 in 1700
growth in specialist towns
-newcastle = coal, iron, smelting
- york & norwich = linen, flax, cloth
- ipswich = textiles grew from 4,000 to 7,500 1600-1680
- chester = leather 4,600 - 7,100 1600-1680

Question 11

impact of population (negatives)

Answer 11

increased regional poverty
surplus of labour
-depression of wages
-vagrancy increased (numbers, percentage of population remained about the same)
-more part time / casual laborers
increased % living on poverty line
eg: norwich = highly skilled qualified textile workers in poverty as wages were depressed with internal and overseas migration

Question 12

conclusion of impact of population growth

Answer 12

population growth = essential precondition for agricultural revolution which then later turned into industrial revolution
towns grew in size but many problems accompanied this

Question 13

changes to rural life from population growth

Answer 13

pop increase = farmer more likely to prosper (food demand increases)
inflation 1650+ = increased land sales as merchants, yeomen and gentry brought land for enclosure
farm amalgamations and specialisations
generated employment
increased town populations = increased demand for food = increased demand for good infrastructure

Question 14

growth of poverty - why

Answer 14

inc pop = inc com for work = depressed wages / unemployment (also inflation @ 4% per annum, wages only rising about 2% in 1st half of 16th century)
1/3 thougth to be in poverty in this period (not helped by ECW & enclosure process where landowners took the land for themselves)
loss of common rights (foraging, hunting, trapping fish and game)
multiple employment common
domestic service common (2/5 of population)
cottage industry commonplace

Question 15

growth of poverty - vagrancy

Answer 15

2 types

• settled poor = 25% of population
• vagrant poor = illegal so no real statistics, alot fewer but heavily feared (around 0.5% pop convicted for vagrancy)

Question 16

growth of poverty - service

Answer 16

domestic service common (2/5 of population)
took indentured domestic servitude when in poverty = fixed tenure, free lodgings, clothing and food in return for service
hazardous
some servants were also given passage to america then after a few years working off the travel, free to start own place in america

Question 17

treatment of poverty middle ages and tudor times

Answer 17

middle ages = no state provision
Guilds, charities and patronage could help (only sometimes..)
tudor times poverty because unemployment, ending of wars, dispersal of baronial fields, decline in guilds…
punished by whipping (1531) then branding (1547) of vagabonds
relief in 1536
-impotent (disabled) poor relived
-able bodied provided with work
-lazy punished
-children apprenticed
-alms for poor collected in church 1547
-JPs force men to pay alms 1563
-1572 = poor rates
-1576 = statuatory provision (public works and correction houses for the idle)

Question 18

when was elizabethan poor laws made

Answer 18

1601 (codified much of tudor poor beliefs)

Question 19

elizabethan poor laws

Answer 19

each parish responsible for own poor
impotent maintained at parish expense
able bodied provided with work
idle made to work / correction houses
children apprenticed
funded by recusancy fines and poor rates

Question 20

elizabethan poor laws - what was the impact?

Answer 20

statutory codification = now uniformally enforced
little new in act though
was vigorously applied
rules for enforcement by JPs (couldn’t abuse their place?)

Question 21

the stuarts and poor laws

Answer 21

elizabethan rules well enforced even during ECW
-cost of maintenance increased 1614-1650
after restoration left to local parishes (royal interference declined hugely)
-gaps in provision appeared
-filled by church and charity
-uniformity disappeared
parishes eager to transfer the poor elsewhere so they were no longer liable
unfair if person arrives in parish destitute as parish don’t want to have to look after anyone other than their own
big problem post 1660 with discharged soldiers = vagrancy and squatting

Question 22

Poor relief Act / Act of Settlement when and with what aims

Answer 22

1662
aim
-restrict movement of people
-restrict entitlement of poor relief to people from outside their parish of birth

Question 23

what was Poor relief Act / Act of Settlement 1662

Answer 23

settlement certificates as proof of entitlement to poor relief from particular parish
importance
-closed loopholes (parishes moving poor around and away from themselves)
entitlement denied for first 40 days of settlement in new parish (in this time had to be good as procedure for complaints, if found true could be expelled from parish)
wandering from parish to parish punishable by hard labor / transportation

Question 24

impact of Poor relief Act / Act of Settlement

Answer 24

resolved problem of migrants imposing themselves able to force themselves as a burden on parishes
BUT
labor force immobile = bad for economy
empty houses demolished to prevent squatting