Implementation + Effectiveness Of Poor Relief Before 1834

Question 1

When was the 1st poor law act ?

Answer 1

1601

Question 2

What was the old system of poor relief orientated around?

Answer 2

Old system orientated around concept of local help - parish decided individually what to do with poor

Question 3

What was outdoor relief?

Answer 3

Giving food/money/clothes to poor rather than putting them in poorhouses

Question 4

How many poorhouses were there in 1776?

Answer 4

2000 containing 20-50 people

Question 5

What did the 1782 Gilbert’s act propose?

Answer 5

Organisation of parishes where poorhouses were provided but only for orphans or physically sick ( deserving poor )

Question 6

When was the Speenhamland System introduced?

Answer 6

1795

Question 7

What did the Speenhamland system suggest?

Answer 7

The value of poor relief was to be based off the rate of a cost of bread (men - 3 loaves) - doubled if had wide and children

Question 8

What was the roundsmen system?

Answer 8

Labour of poor was given to farmers for cheap, then the rest of their wages were made up by the poor rate - provided the underserving poor employment

Question 9

How did the 1819 act to amend the laws for relief of the poor impact levels of relief?

Answer 9

Relief decreased - Parishes created to scrutinise the level of relief - qualification for relief tightened up - awareness of rising costs of the poor

Question 10

Why was poor relief not as effective between 1785-1834?

Answer 10

No coordination, lack of national effectiveness

Question 11

What were the issues regarding population growth in the effectiveness of poor relief before 1834?

Answer 11

Population grew to 9 million in 1801, which resulted increased demand for poor relief which local areas were unable to sunstain

Question 12

How did industrialisation also increase strain on poor relief before 1834?

Answer 12

Increased machinery, increased level of unemployment in rural areas

Question 13

What negative impacts did the 1793 Napoleonic Wars have on the Speenhamland System?

Answer 13

Lack of foreign supply increased the price of bread as reliant on domestic producers - led to increased costs of providing poor relief

Question 14

What other negative impact did the Napoleonic Wars have on the poor relief system in 1815?

Answer 14

400,000 soldiers returned to Britain looking for work which couldn’t all be provided - increased demand for poor relief

Question 15

What else happened to increase demand for poor relief between 1814-1818?

Answer 15

Poor harvests, economic depression,

Question 16

How much was spent on poor relief between 1814-1818?

Answer 16

£6.4 million spent

Question 17

What were the corn laws of 1815?

Answer 17

The law prohibited the importation of foreign corn until the price of domestic corn reached 10 shillings a bushel - increased cost of providing poor relief

Question 18

What was the purpose of the corn laws 1815?

Answer 18

To protect domestic farmers from foreign imports, which would be increased due to the end of the Napoleonic Wars

Question 19

What was the difference in 1802 between poor relief received in the north and the south?

Answer 19

10% received relief in the north, 23 % in the south

Question 20

Why did demand for poor relief increase during economic decline in urban areas?

Answer 20

Poor wages meant working class couldn’t save for times of economic hardship - resulted in them having to apply for relief ( showed lack of stability of system )

Question 21

What were the issues with rising working class demand for poor relief during times of economic hardship before 1834?

Answer 21

System couldn’t sustain increased demand to those who worked also as large population in urban areas, also costs increased massively with a surge in demand meant it was unsustainable

Question 22

What was set up in 1832 to review the poor relief system?

Answer 22

The Royal Commission

Question 23

Who founded the royal commission, and what did the Royal commission do?

Answer 23

Chadwick and Senior, sent questionnaires to 15,000 parishes to gather information on poor relief systems and possible changes that could be made - however only 10% replied

Question 24

What ideas followed the royal commission’s review in 1832?

Answer 24

The removal of outdoor relief, use of more workhouses, parishes grouped together, creation of a central board to oversee poor relief