POVERTY Flashcards
(30 cards)
when was the orignal poor law act
1601
provisions of old act
- 15k parishes were respinsible for looking after poor
- workhouses were set up to accomodate those who could not look after them selves
-speenhamlend system
what was the speenhamlend system
- desigend to prevent staration by ensuring wages were sufficient for families to afford basic necessitiees like bread
what were the people called who couldnt looked after themselves
indigent peiople
why was the 1601 poor law act no longer fit for purpose
-population = system was under increasing pressure of growth of population ( 10 mill in 1800 to 30 in 1830)
- purpose= it became too expsensive for parishes to keep taaxing in order to suppoirt ppl who couldbt work
how much was poor relifef costing in 1815 and 30
5 milly and then 7 milly
what was indoor releif
- where individuals recieved support by going into workhouses
what was outdoor relief
- provided aid such as cash or food (became too expensive and ppl were abusing it )
poor law amendment act 1834: royal commission
- a royal commission was enacted in 1832 to lookinto possible reformations of the old poor law act
- all of the recomendations that the comission suggested were swfilty accepted by the whig government
provisions of the 1834 act
- no able bodied person was to recieve money or other help from poor law authroities except in a workhosue (no outdoor reliief for the able bodied poor)
- workhouses were to be built in every parish for the able bodied poor who claimed relief
what was the less eligibiltiy rule
- the standard of living in the workhouses should be worse than living on the outide
- so only people would come in if they were desperate
- putting the emphasis on work rather than relying on state help
who would be responsible for supervising the act
- central poor law commision
who was secetary in the commission
- edwin chadwick
strenghts of 1834 act
- poor law commission set up as central authorityt
- setting up unions to build orkhouses saved money
-redcued the rate burden on property owners in parishes whcih as more peopel went into workhouses
which section of society did the new poor law act benefit
- people who are for reducing the cosst of poor law
- typically people who followed adam smiths free market economic policies
weaknesses of amendment act
- internal conflcits within the commission ( chadwick thoight he would be commisioner but only was secetary)
- commissioners sent out questioners to 15k parishes but only 10% replied
what were conditions like in workhouses after 1834 for men women children
- children recieved basic education whilst in the workhouses
- many became institutionalised and found it hrd to cope outside of the walls
- so were constatntly readdmited
dinner time in workhoues
- desgiend to sustain life but to be as boring as possible to adhere to less eligiblit rule
- some workhouses didnt allow cutleruy
- ate in silcen
dscipline in workhouses
- rowdy places with common verbal and physical abbuse
- full scale riots
- instances o.f sexual abuse
andover workhouse scandal 1845
- workhouse was run under an extreme regime where paupers were treated like prisoners
-widespread starvation leading to paupers having to eat rotten bones and with fingers
how did the andover scandal 1845 come to light
- concerns raised by local poor law guadrian to mp
- gained a lot of press exposure
impact of andover 1845 scandal
- poor law commision was dissolved and reslted in the establishment of the poor law board in 47
who supported theact
-landowners= supported the act cause it reduced the cost of poor rate in parished
- mc and upper class= supported the act as they believed the poor were lazy and had large families to get more poor relief
impact of charles dickens olviver twist on society
- read by the masses due to it being widely availvable. in newspapers
- chagned public perception on the poor
- increasing philantrophy
