Please enable JavaScript.

Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.

Why did population growth occur? - Coggle Diagram

Why did population growth occur?

GENERAL

General Figures

1520-1680→Population doubled from 2.5 million to 5 million

Unequal across regions→Three quarters living in South East

Rate of Growth→in Stuart era around 0.5% per year

```
1650s population→5.281 million
```
```
1701 Population→5.058 million
```

London→largest city in Western Europe.

REASONS FOR INCREASE IN POPULATION GROWTH

Migration

National migration→common Parish Registers show more people moved from their birth places than stayed.

Movement to London→Many came to London for better poor rates, relief schemes and employment with unstable grain industry.

Upper classes movement→to London drawn for social reasons and due to court.

Europe→from the Low countries looking for economic betterment e.g. Cloth trade in Kent with Huguenots.

Movement away→Migration away due to Charles Catholicism and Civil War. In 1640 english colonies population of free member 48,000 by 1700 it was 440,000.

Foreign immigrants→Large number of foreign immigrants arrived in 1651 when religious toleration appeared established.

Norwich statistic→By 1600 migrants made up 35% of the populations of Norwich (skilled weavers from the low country)

Kentish towns attractive to migrants→established centres of cloth trade for skilled Dutch Weavers.

Birth rates

Higher in first half. Hit a low in 1650, only slowly began to rise again by 1680.

Lower average age of marriage for women and men - higher average age in second half. From 26 and 24 to 28 and 26.

Death Rates

Decline in the first 40 years - due increased understanding of disease. Isolation - common practice. Theatres of London were shut for months at a time during epidemics.

Plague returning in 1660s - one fifth of London residents killed.

```
Civil war led to death of 3.7%
```

IMPACT OF POPULATION GROWTH

Pre-1950

London

had both beneficial and parasitical effect on county's economy.

Overseas trade fuelled from London - led to the decay of ports e.g. Southhampton.

Increasing inequality of distribution of wealth and social polarisation - remained stable riots were small scale.

Impact on towns

```
Vagrants - increase in poverty
```

Increase in population caused a shortage of work in both town and countryside

Cloth industry begun to move out from cities to avoid regulations after 1600

Urban developments post 1650

Rising of living standards for labourers.

More of a consumer society was developed. People began to have a larger disposable income.

```
Growth of non-landed elite in towns
```

Larger landowners and towns invest in transport - roads and towns

Impact of Population on rural life

Rural Change pre 1650↓

Easy for farmers to make a profit due to increasing demands

400% more grain produced between 1600-1680 due to demands from the city.

9,000,000 acres of english land dedicated to the growth of crops.

Post -1650

Inflation meant many small landowners unable to invest in their farms had to sell. Left wealthy aristocracy and higher gentry as only landowners able to invest. Specialisation was required

GROWTH OF POVERTY

Settled Poor

Established in one parish - made up one quarter` of the populations

Escaping poverty

Servants→two fifths of the workforce became servants, more than half in towns - abled-bodied poor had to have masters by law, apprentships for most trades took seven years to complete and were impossible for the poorest

Migration→Within the country or abroad. Estimated within any decade of 17th cent. a third of a village population would leave. 200,000 left Britain for puritan colonies.

POOR LAWS

Before Restoration

Tudors

Elizabeth's poor relief act of 1601/Old poor law - basis for treatment until 1662 - provision made for the relief of those disabled, punishments for those who chose not to work

The Act of 1601

Overseers of the poor became chief local officals in charge of collection of poor relief taxes

Overseers appointed in all parishes - responsible for who recieved relief

Provision made to compel people who had refused to pay poor tax

Poor could be sent to a poorhouse at expense of local parishioners

Begging was allowed in ones home parish but only to provide food.

Charles I

By his policy of thorough - aiming to make local government more effective

Book of Orders in 1631 included provision of the poor - but no new principles and motivated more by Charles' fear of rioting.

Statistics

3/4 of the money that was allotted by overseers by 1660 came from rural parishes and in 1650 state relief stood at £188,000 nationally compared with £30,000 in 1614