Poverty in Elizabethan England (AQA GCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Natasha Smith
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
Why was poverty an issue in the Tudor period? - Timeline & Summary
Poverty was an issue throughout the Tudor period. The monarchs of this time all contributed towards the problem in different ways. For example, both Henry VII and Henry VIII contributed towards unemployment. Henry VII focused on the threat of rebellions and wanted to contain this threat. Therefore, he limited the right of nobles to have armies, which created unemployment. Whereas, when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries, this resulted in the loss of employment and eviction for anyone working there.
Throughout the Tudor period, there were economic hardships and high taxes. Henry VIII's wars with France created taxes, and debasement during Edward VI’s reign hurt trade and jobs. This resulted in the collapse of the cloth trade.
When Elizabeth came into power, there was mass unemployment and the economy was weak. Other factors throughout her reign, such as poor harvests, made poverty worse in England.
How did early Tudor monarchs view poverty?
The early Tudors approached the issue of poverty in England slightly differently from Elizabeth
Henry VIII and Edward VI attempted to deal with the problem through punishments
Punishments faced by beggars under Henry VIII and Edward VI
Year of punishment | Type of punishment |
|---|---|
1495 | Beggars were punished by being put in stocks or sent back to their hometowns |
1531 | Beggars (without a licence) were initially whipped in public. If they caught a second time, they would have a hole burned in their ear. If they were caught for a third time they were hanged |
Some of these laws were removed as they were seen as too harsh
However, the 1531 laws were enforced throughout the majority of Elizabeth’s reign
Examiner Tips and Tricks
You will not be asked to answer a question on how the early Tudor monarchs handled the issue of poverty. However, it is useful background information and shows the changes over the Elizabethan era.
What were the causes of poverty in Elizabethan England?
Poverty became worse during Elizabeth’s reign
Unlike the monarchs before her, the increase in poverty during her reign was not necessarily caused by her actions
Poor harvests between 1594 and 1598 resulted in:
Food shortages
Death from starvation
The introduction of a new farming system called enclosure meant that
Less land was used for growing crops
Fewer workers were needed
The population of England increased
The population in England grew from 2.8 to 4 million during Elizabeth’s reign
Inflation was high
Poor harvests resulted in food prices increasing
There was an outbreak of flu in 1556
The epidemic killed approximately 200,000
It reduced the amount of workers growing food
Who were the “undeserving poor”?
As Elizabethans began to help the poor, they also began to identify those who were ‘undeserving’ of their help
Those who were classed as undeserving included:
Untrustworthy beggars
The able-bodied
The idle poor (people who were seen to be lazy or unwilling to change their ways)
In 1567 Thomas Harman published a book called A Caveat or Warning for Common Cursitors
It helped Elizabethans to identify untrustworthy beggars
The untrustworthy beggars were:
The Counterfeit Crank
The Baretop Trickster
Tom O’Bedlam
The Clapper Dudgeons
AWAITING IMAGE
A flow chart showing the untrustworthy beggars as described in Thomas Harman’s book A Caveat or Warning for Common Cursitors
Who were the “deserving poor”?
Elizabethans believed that many people in poverty deserved their help and charity
The deserving poor were
The genuine sick
The disabled
The unemployed
Orphans
The old
Many wealthy Elizabethans started to help the deserving poor by creating:
Almshouses
Charities
Early Elizabethan attempts to help the poor
Throughout her reign, Elizabeth attempted to help the poor as shown in the table below
| The Statute of Artificers, 1563 | Vagabonds Act, 1572 | Poor Relief Act, 1576 |
|---|---|---|---|
Aims | To ensure all Elizabethans contributed to poor relief | To reduce the levels of vagrancy in towns and cities | To determine the genuine poor that needed help from those who did not want or accept government poor relief |
Positive features | It made local officials and society accountable for providing poor relief. People who refused to pay poor relief faced imprisonment. Justices of the Peace (JPs) who did not collect poor relief were fined £20 | It created a national system to monitor and help the poor. Each area of England had to pay the same poor rate. Justices of the Peace kept a register of who was poor. Finding work for the unemployed was the responsibility of local officials | The Poor Relief Act gave practical support for the poor. Justices of the Peace provided the able-bodied poor with raw materials to create goods for sale |
Negative features | The rising prices of goods in England affected all areas of society. Some people could not afford to contribute towards poor relief | Punishments for vagrants increased. Physical punishments included drilling holes in vagabonds' ears. If arrested three times, vagrants faced the death penalty | The government punished the poor if they refused to use government materials. The poor rate paid for special prisons called houses of correction. |
Why did people’s views towards the poor change?
Before the Elizabethan period, most people viewed poverty negatively
It was believed that people were poor because of their actions
They were seen to be poor because they:
Refused to work
Were lazy
Were criminals
Therefore the poor were often punished and treated harshly
The Elizabethan period saw a change in attitudes towards the poor
A more Christian approach was being taken
Charities were created to help the poor, sick or disabled
Almshouses were created e.g. Archbishop Whitgift created an almshouse in Croydon to help the local people
The problems with agriculture demonstrated that the poor were not responsible for their poverty
How did towns and cities deal with poverty?
Cities and towns took different approaches to helping the poor in the Elizabethan period
Approaches to and successes of Elizabethan towns and cities towards the poor
Cities & Towns | Methods to help the poor | How successful were the methods? |
|---|---|---|
London | Bridewell Palace was used as a homeless shelter. Bedlam Hospital was created to help those with mental health illnesses. Orphanages were opened to children without parents | Many hospitals, shelters and orphanages created had poor conditions. The rate of poverty in London increased due to the increased amount of poor people moving from the countryside to the city and poor conditions. |
York | In 1515, the York Corporation issued licences for beggars. They had to wear a badge. York created the role of Master Beggars in 1528 who managed the beggars of York. Houses of Correction were created for those who refused to work | Despite the intervention from York, the problem of beggars failed to improve. Therefore, York started to remove beggars from the city, returning them to their hometowns |
Norwich | In 1570, Norwich separated their poor into the ‘idle poor’ and the ‘unfortunate poor’. The ‘idle poor’ were given jobs such as sewing or knitting whereas the ‘unfortunate poor’ were given food and support | The methods in Norwich were effective as they identified those who needed help and provided them with care, which reduced poverty in Norwich. The rich were taxed to help pay for the care of the ‘unfortunate poor’ |
Ipswich | Licensing of beggars was introduced in 1569. Hospitals were open to help the sick and old who were too poor to afford help. The youth were provided with training schemes to help them learn a trade. Ipswich also created Houses of Correction to help the unemployed | Licences helped to control and monitor beggars in Ipswich. Although hospitals helped to heal the poor, there were not enough hospitals in Ipswich to solve the problem |
The 1601 Poor Law
In 1601 the first-ever Poor Law was introduced
The wealthy were forced to pay taxes to help support the deserving poor
The undeserving poor were still treated harshly
The 1601 Poor Law
Type of poor in Elizabethan England | Provisions or punishments outlined in the Poor Law |
|---|---|
“The Able-bodied Poor” | They were made to work, and in return, they were paid with food and drink |
“The Helpless Poor” | Given food and homes where they were cared for |
“The Idle Poor” | They were whipped and sent to a House of Correction to work |
How successful was the 1601 Poor Law?
The 1601 Poor Law had many successes
Some historians believe that the 1601 Poor Law was limited and had weaknesses
The successes and weaknesses of the 1601 Poor Law
Successes | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
Helped those who were genuinely poor by providing them with food and a home | It was inconsistent in different areas of the country |
Begging decreased in some areas of England | Some Justices of the Peace (JPs) were corrupt, as some JPs did not provide help to everyone who needed it |
The 1601 Poor Law continued to be in effect until the nineteenth century | Without a home, some beggars were sent from one place to another |
Worked Example
How convincing is Interpretation A about how the poor were treated before the 1601 Poor Law
Interpretation A: Adapted from a punishment that was recorded in Middlesex Country Records in 1574 “29th March. At Harrow on the Hill in Middlesex, on the said day, John Allen, Elizabeth Turner, Humphrey Foxe, Henry Bower and Agnes Wort, being over 14 years and having no lawful means of livelihood, were declared vagabonds and sentenced to be flogged severely and burnt on the right ear.” |
[8 Marks]
Partial answer:
Interpretation A is convincing about how the poor were treated before the 1601 Poor Law. The interpretation states that the vagabonds were “flogged severely” and “burnt on the right ear”. Under the 1572 Vagabonds Act, vagabonds who were not registered or had a job were punished by being whipped, having a hole burnt in their ear and, if they were caught three times, they faced the death penalty. The interpretation is convincing because it shows how violence towards vagrants increased after the 1572 Vagabonds Act to try and reduce the number of vagrants in England.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
When answering a how convincing question it is important to remember that detailed and relevant own knowledge is key to achieving a Level 2 and above (3- 8 marks).
Additionally, students sometimes use the content of the interpretation as their own knowledge. Own knowledge must be information that is not mentioned in the interpretation.
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