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Poverty (Problems (Unable to pay the rising prices for food., Unemployed:…
Poverty
Problems
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Relying on others for support, poor relief and alms.
Widows, Women abandoned by their family: Low pay, due to being a woman
Sick & elderly: Unable to work, entirely reliant on others.
Vagrants, vagabonds: Bad reputation
Causes
Population growth: Grew from 3 million in 1551 to 4.3 million in 1601. Increased demand for food while increased amount of labour meant lower wages, and higher food prices. Growth of towns meant higher rent.
Sheep farming: More profitable for farmers, meant less food growing. Moreover it caused land to be split up into fields and given to farmers farming for profit. Denied use of common land, and caused some people to have nowhere to live.
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Economic recession: Caused by trade embargo's, caused unemployment and poverty.
Actions against poverty
Poor rate & Charity: Existed before Elizabeth. Poor rates were a tax setup by the Justices of peace. The poor were given money or things to sell. Charity was funded by wealthy locals.
Statute of artificers: Those refusing to pay poor rates could be imprisoned, and officials could be fined.
Poor relief act: Justices of peace were required to provide wool and raw materials to the poor, to allow them to sell things. Poor refusing to do so were sent to the house of correction.
Vagabonds act: Vagrants were whipped and a hole drilled in the ear. Imprisoned if arrested for vagrancy. A death penalty for a third offense. The act also introduced a national poor rate, to provide support like money and work. Justices of peace had to register the poor, and those in authority were tasked with finding work for the poor.
Attitudes
Elizabethans distinguished between the poor who could help themselves, but didn't and the ones who couldn't.
Most people felt that the poor should be given opportunities to redeem themselves, and those who didn't take the opportunity should be punished.
Elizabethans were suspicious of the poor and misrepresented them as criminals. Crimes caused by vagrants were dealt with harshly, they could be whipped or enslaved, and hung if caught begging.