The poor Flashcards
(18 cards)
How did the rising population cause increased poverty ?
It meant that there were more people looking for work and unemployment increased
How did workers looking for jobs cause increased poverty ?
With more workers looking for jobs, employers could pay low wages
How did bad harvests cause increased poverty ?
Bad harvests caused food shortages. This led to a rise in food prices. The poor could not afford prices so many starved
How did the collapse in the cloth trade cause an increase in poverty ?
It chased high levels of unemployment. England exported woollen cloth to Europe, but demand dropped in the 1550s (just before Elizabeth became Queen). Many weavers and spinners lost their jobs
How did war cause an increase of poverty ?
It meant that many people were injured and count not work. At the end of Elizabeth’s reign, war with Spain led to high taxes
How did the closure of the monasteries cause to increased poverty ?
The closure of the monasteries by Henry Vlll meant that poor people weee left helpless. The monasteries used to provide food and shelter to poor people
What were Elizabethan attitudes towards the
poverty ?
Elizabethan did accept that wealthier people should take
some responsibility for the poor. However, they divided the poor into three categories and treated each group differently.
What were the Elizabethan responses towards poverty ?
They different the poor into three categories and treated each group differently
What were Elizabethan attitudes and respond towards people who were too young, too old or too sick to work ?
Support was given to poor people who were too young, too old to work.
They would be given food and a place to stay.
Some local councils created hospital for the poor people in the town and appointed work to take in the poorest children There was a general acceptance that this would be paid for by
those people in work
What were Elizabethan attitudes and respond towards the unemployed ?
People who wanted to work but had become unemployed were given help and try and find a job.
If they refused to work, they could be sent to a house of correction - this was like a prison where people would be forced to work in return for food and shelter
What were Elizabethan attitudes and respond towards vagabonds ?
Elizabethans labelled some people as vagabond. These were poor people who travelled the country begging for work.
They were often young unmarried men and women, who were greeted with hostility and suspicion by people when they arrive in a town or village.
They could be whipped or forced to work in a House of correction
Why did the government take action against poverty ?
In some towns 30 per cent of the population were classed as poor. The number were growing and the scale of the problem worried many
people
Why did Elizabeth’s Privy counsellors take action against poverty ?
They were worried that
poor people could be easily persuaded to join a rebellion against her. A combination of bad harvests, a rising population and high taxes created conditions where there was a lot of social unrest and riots broke out across the country
Why did the gentry take action against poverty ?
The gentry saw vagabond as a threat to society and argues that Elizabeth’s government should introduce harsh laws to punish them
Why did the puritans take action against poverty ?
They believed that everybody should work and if they refused, they should be punished
What was the Vagabond Act, 1572 ?
- Anybody found guilty of being a vagabond, over the age of 14, could be whipped and burned through the right ear
- JPs were ordered to keep a register of the poor in their parish. They also had to raise money from local epipen to pay for food and shelter for the sick and elderly
What was the act of the relief of the poor, 1598 ?
Four overseas of poor were appointed in each parish. Their job was to collect money. (known as a poor rate) from everyone in the parish to help the poor. This would pay for:
- Apprenticeships (for children so that they could learn a trade)
- Hospitals (for the old and sick)
- almshouses (to provide clothing, food and shelter for those too old, young or sick to work)
What was the Elizabethan poor law, 1601 ?
- Parliament met to review all the laws that had been introduced to deal
with poverty - This showed that the government
we’re straying to take responsibility for looking after the poor and that
it has become accepted that support for the poor should be paid for by taxing those in work - However, the laws did not tackle the causes of poverty and poverty continued to be a problem. More money was raised by private charity than the poor rates collected in parishes
