1. Was poverty a problem sorted with punishment?
Causes of poverty
Attitudes towards poverty
Solutions to poverty
Impact

2. Food was in short supply because of increased numbers of people
There was a growing national crisis with poverty. It was worst in the north-west of England. The poor were part of the ‘fourth’ and lowest Elizabethan social class
There was a huge population growth. The population rose by about 43% between 1550 and This placed pressure on resources, especially food and jobs
There were so many workers due to over-population that wages stayed the same but the demand for food pushed prices up. This was inflation and it was a big problem
Spanish discovery of silver in the ‘New World’ meant that there was more silver in Europe which lowered the value of other currencies. This pushed prices up
Henry VIII had reduced the value of coins in England in the 1540s in order to pay for wars against France and Scotland
Wars led to increased taxes and hit the poor the hardest. Wars also led to out of work soldiers and sailors once they were over. Wars also led to trade being banned
There were many terrible harvests. There were near famine conditions in England before Elizabeth became Queen and I the 1590s – this pushed up food prices
Food was in short supply because of increased numbers of people
Changes in farming caused problems. Greedy landlords charged unreasonably high rents which led to rent being too high to pay and being thrown out
The growth of enclosure was bad news for the poor. Farming changed from people working the fields to sheep farming. Many people lost their jobs
Enclosure took away ‘common land’ which was land that the poor used for their animals to graze. Now the poor had nowhere to keep their animals
Henry VIII had got rid of monasteries that used to give charity to the poor such as food, shelter and medical care

3. Elizabethans believed that the poor could be put into groups and only some deserved help
Elizabethans believed the ‘impotent poor’ were unable to provide for themselves because they were too young, too old or too ill to do so. They were not to blame for their situation and the government was sympathetic, believing they deserved help
Elizabethans believed the ‘idle poor’ were a major threat to social order. There was a belief that there was enough work for everyone. The ‘idle poor’ were dishonest and vagabonds and often referred to as ‘sturdy beggars’. These homeless people were considered to be an immoral and criminal class, perfectly fit but too lazy to find work and happy to live off begging and petty crime
People were often worried about the ‘idle poor’. They seemed to be getting out of hand and townspeople hated vagrants and beggars. Many were attacked on the streets
Thomas Harman wrote a book in 1567 giving advice to readers about the various tricks played by different types of beggars to cheat people out of money. He warned that beggars used a coded language called ‘’’canting”
Thomas Harman’s book warned that ’Anglers’ could be spotted by the long stick they carried which could be used to steal clothes from washing lines at night. A ‘ruffler’ looked like an army officer but actually robbed people at sword point. ‘Clapperdudgeons’ pretended to be wounded by using arsenic to make their skin bleed and wrapping their arms and legs in bloody rags
Thomas Harman’s book warned that a ‘doxy’ always wore a needle in her hat and a large pack on her back that she kept her stolen goods in. Many pretended to be ill in order to attract sympathy. Many carried sticks to pretend to be lame. ‘Counterfeit cranks’ dressed in old, dirty clothes and pretended to have fits, using soap to foam at the mouth. ‘Abraham men’ pretended to be mad, walking around half-naked and making strange wailing noises
A beggars lifestyle was seen as sinful, particularly by Puritan officials who strongly disapproved of such lazy and dishonest ways. Vagabonds tended to move around in groups and this was intimidating. Those in power were worried about the possibility of a lower class rebellion
Disease was widespread at this time and there were major outbreaks of plague in 1563, 1583to 1586 and 1590 to 1593, as well as smallpox and influenza. The wandering poor were blamed for helping to spread these diseases
Early on in her reign, Elizabeth believed that she had more important issues than poverty to focus on and did not think it was a national problem
Early on in Elizabeth’s reign, the government introduced various measures to try and solve poverty. One of these was a full recoinage – new coins were made to slow down the rate of inflation. This helped for a little while
In 1563 a law was introduced called ‘the Statute of Artificers’ placed wage limits on skilled workers to try and slow down the rate of inflation

4. The government tried to slow down how many farmers were turning to sheep farming in order to protect rural jobs through a law called ‘the Act on Husbandry and Tillage’ in 1598
Town councils like Norwich (England’s second largest city) tried to deal with poverty locally. Alms (charity) were collected for the poor, censuses were carried out to make registers of the poor, work was provided for the unemployed in a workhouse and begging was controlled by making rules. Hospitals were also set up
In London several hospitals were set up for the poor. St Bartholomew’s for the sick, St Thomas’ for the elderly, Christ’s Hospital for orphans and Bethlehem Hospital (Bedlam) for the insane
The government was impressed with the local measures and decided they were needed at a national level. Elizabeth passed law regarding the poor in 1563, 1572 and 1576
By the 1590s the England’s economy was weak and poverty was still a problem. Years of war with Spain had been expensive and the harvest had failed repeatedly which had led to all-time high food prices and people starving to death
By the 1590s England seemed at risk of rebellion and Elizabeth, her advisors and Parliament decided to act. They drew together all existing laws into one. They created one, new, compulsory law. A Poor Law was passed in 1597 and was amended in It was known fully as ‘The Act for the Relief of the Poor’
Charity was still encouraged but the Poor Law meant that everyone had to pay towards a local poor rate (a tax). People who refused to pay the tax could be fined or imprisoned. This tax paid towards parish officials, setting up workhouses and giving relief to the deserving poor
Each parish would have 4 ‘Overseers of the Poor’ who would ensure that orphans had apprenticeships (paid for by the parish) so that the learned a trade. Almshouses would be built for the old and ill to live in and they could receive handouts of money, food and clothing – this was called ‘outdoor relief’
The 1601 Poor Law continued to recognise the 1576 law which said that there was a third class of poor – the able bodied who were genuinely unable to find work but wanted to work. Overseers provided money from the poor rate to give these people tools and materials to work in a ‘House of Industry’ They were paid with poor rate money until they found a job
There was still a strong belief that many of those in poverty were lazy. Much of the law focused on preventing laziness by punishing those who were able but unwilling to work. Begging was strictly forbidden. Laws stated that beggars would be punished with whipping and sent back to their birthplace. Otherwise they could be imprisoned or put to work in a ‘House of Correction’. Some were sent away to work on warships. Persistent beggars would be hanged
The Elizabethan Poor Law was the first time in England that the government took responsibility for the welfare of the people and was used until It was a shrewd politic move – it avoided a rebellion caused by poverty and social order was maintained
Some historians argue that poverty was not really a big problem in Elizabethan times. Some argue that poverty continued to rise after the Poor Law and that the Law was too harsh and focused too much on punishment rather than supporting the poor