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Review of Poor Relief in Tudor England - Coggle Diagram
Review of Poor Relief in Tudor England
1495 Poor Law
All beggars punished by being placed in stocks, whipped and returned to their parish of origin.
Henry VII.
'Act against vagabonds and beggars'.
1536 Poor Law
Cromwell recognised the need to provide work at public expense, but there was opposition from the majority of landowners.
Children found begging were taken from their parents and put to work.
Money to be raised through voluntary contributions to assist the impotent poor.
Henry VIII.
1552 Poor Law
Attempts made to convince more people to make contributions.
Northumberland.
Compulsory census and registration to reduce unauthorised begging.
1531 Poor Law
The idle poor and the genuine unemployed. The first were allowed to beg in their parishes if they obtained a licence, whereas the second were whipped and returned to their parish of origin, and fined if they begged without a licence.
Henry VIII.
Drew a distinction between 'aged, poor and impotent persons' and 'persons being whole and mighty in body and able to labour'.
1563 'Act for the Relief of the Poor'
It was the effectiveness of local measures that persuaded the government to follow suit and require all local authorities to appoint a special collector of alms.
Elizabeth.
If people refused to make contributions, they could be taken to court and imprisoned.
1547 Poor Law
London led the way to instituting a compulsory poor rate.
Anyone unemployed for over 3 days classed as a vagrant. If convicted of begging, branded and given to informant as a slave for 2 years.
Funds collected through churches to support impotent poor, houses to be built to accommodate poor.
Somerset.
Second conviction - branding and lifelong slavery. Third offence - death penalty.
1563 'Statute of Artificers and Apprentices'
All men 12 - 60 below the rank of gentleman obliged to find employment and not move from it without permission.
Maximum wages were to be set by JPs in every locality and it was made an offence to pay more than they prescribed.
Part of government attempt to deal with poverty and vagrancy.
Elizabeth.
1572 Poor Law
Compulsory contributions to poor relief. Overseers of the poor appointed by the parish to help organised poor relief.
BIG CHANGE. Distinction made between the idle poor and the genuine unemployed.
Punishments for vagrancy increased: whipping and ear bored for first offence. Criminal charged for further offences. Repetition of vagrancy - death penalty.
Some classes of people excluded from punishment - recognised for the first time as 'deserving poor'.