1. Why do you think people become homeless?
Join up in your table and think of as many ideas to add to the two mind maps
Why do you think people become homeless?
What does the government try to do to help them?

2. MLO: Why did Poverty increase in Elizabethan England?

3. Explain why these groups were probably the MOST vulnerable
Who were the poor?
Anyone who spends 80% of their income on food
Norwich Survey 1570
25% were over the age of 60
40% of the Poor were under 16
66% were women (mostly those abandoned by husbands)
Explain why these groups were probably the MOST vulnerable

4. Why did Poverty increase?
One of the main reasons was the huge population growth.
Under Elizabeth I, the population grew by 35%
London’s population grew to 150,000 by 1603

5. Why would a rising population cause Poverty?

6. What else caused Poverty?
Prices rose as less more people moved to the cities. They weren’t producing food anymore, a relied on a dwindling countryside population
Food prices rose as a result of harvests not matching a rising population. Grain prices (bread) rose quickest
Wages did not rise as fast as prices as labour became cheaper with more people looking for work .
Rent prices for land increased and tenants had to pay entry fee’s when they took over some lnad.
Sheep farming increased, as 80% of Elizabethan exports was wool. However, sheep flocks were often over 2000, only affordable to the richest and ate a huge amount of crops – at a time of rising grain prices.
Enlosure of land (fencing it off) effected the poorest as the richest fenced of common land. Also, less labour was needed with more efficient methods therefore leading to more unemployment.

7. What was enclosure
Definition: Enclosing land meant replacing large, open fields farmed by all the village with individual farms by one person. It was more efficient and led to increasing production and profits, but also led to unemployment and rural depopulation.

8. Was Enclosure a good of bad thing?
Debate! Look at the information on enclosure, and come up with a suitable argument about whether it was a good or bad thing. You must discuss an argument either side, and come up with conclusion which evaluates the significance of the evidence Challenge – Discuss the different impacts; on the richest landowners and the poorest tenant farmers.

9. MLO: How did Elizabethan England tackle the problem of the poor?

10. Vagabondage
Vagabonds were people without jobs. They were seen as a concern because:
They didn’t fit within the strict social hierarchy
They had no master and lived outside the law
As they moved to cities, they grew in number and as a result slums emerged around the cities and crime/disorder increased

11. What help was there?
Poor relief This was paid for the very poor. It was collected by Justices of the Peace in the form of the poor rate Charity Elizabethan society was very religious, with a number believing in charity Able-bodied Poor This help was reserved to the impotent (disabled) or deserving poor. For the able- bodied poor, Attitudes were far more harsh towards those deemed fit to work. They faced severe punishment such as whipping and imprisonment.

12. Government Action
1563 Statue of Artificers
1572 Vagabonds Act
1576 Poor Relief
Aim: To ensure poor relief was collected
Aim: To deter vagrancy
Aim: To distinguished between impotent and able bodied poor.
Features: Imprisoned those who failed to pay the poor rate
Officials could be fined £20 for failing to collected money
Features:
Vagrants were to be whipped and a hole drilled through the ear. Imprisoned if second offence and death penalty for the third
National poor rate established and a register carried out by JP’s.
Towns and cities made responsible for providing work
JPs provided able bodied poor with wool and raw materials to make and sell goods.
Those who refused, they imprisoned at a house of correction.
Using the table – explain 3 methods that Elizabeth employs to try and prevent Vagrancy
Now – evaluate those 3 methods by labelling them 1 – 3 and explain which method is the most effective

13. Impact of Government Changes
Had some impact, but didn’t drive down poverty
Only 10% of Vagrants were actually whipped
The laws did mean that Elizaeth recognised that poverty WAS an issue. The poor law remained in place until the 1800s