Elizabethan England-Poverty

Question	Answer
What caused Poverty in Elizabethan England?	Rising Population, Inflation, Bad harvests, Changes in the countryside, Changes in the cloth trade.
What did bad harvests cause?	Bad harvests caused rising of food prices since there was little food to go around which meant that there was more poverty as poorer people couldn't afford food.
What did the rising population cause?	Rising population caused unemployment as there weren't enough jobs to go around which then caused starvation and poverty as less people had work. Also, there wasn't enough food to go around due to the bad harvests.
What did inflation cause?	Inflation caused more people to become poor because as the prices rose, peoples income didn't.
What did changes in the countryside cause?	Changes in the countryside meant that there weren't as many crop farms because of the demand for sheep farming increased.
What did changes in the cloth trade cause?	The changes in the cloth trade caused unemployment due to it suddenly collapsing.
What were Vagabonds?	Vagabonds were homeless people without jobs that roamed the countryside begging or stealing for money.
Why was there an increase in Vagabondage?	Rural depopulation made a lot of people become Vagabonds as they left the countryside to look for jobs but city life could be hard and there weren't enough jobs for everyone there.
Why were people sympathetic towards the Impotent poor?	People were sympathetic towards the impotent poor because they were unable to work due to age or illness.
Why were people unsympathetic towards the able bodied or idle poor?	People were unsympathetic towards the able bodied poor because the were fit to work but didn't.
How were the able bodied poor treated?	The able bodied poor were treated harshly. Vagabonds, if caught, faced severe punishment, such as whipping and imprisonment.
What was the poor relief?	The poor relief was financial help for the very poor which was paid by the poor rate.
What was the poor rate?	The poor rate was a special local tax that was organised by the Justices of Peace. The money from the poor rate was given to the very poor.
Who was given the poor relief?	The impotent poor.
What was the 1563 Statute of Artificers' aim?	To ensure that the poor relief was collected.
What were the features of the 1563 Statute of Artificers?	1. Anyone that refused to pay the poor rates could be imprisoned. 2. Officials failing to organise the poor relief could be fined up to £20.
What was the aim of the 1572 Vagabonds act?	To deter Vagrancy.
What were the features of the 1572 Vagabonds act?	1.The act stated that vagabonds were to be whipped and a hole to be drilled through each ear. 2. Vagabonds were also to be imprisoned if they were arrested a second time and given the death penalty a third.
More information about the 1572 vagabonds act.	1.It established the national poor rate for the first time which sheltered thee impotent poor. 2. JP's were to keep register of the poor. 3.Towns and cities were given the responsibility to find work for the able bodied poor.
What were the aims of the 1576 Poor relief act?	To distinguish between the able bodied poor and the impotent poor, and to help the able bodied poor find work.
What were te features of the 1576 Poor relief act?	1. JP's provided the able bodied poor with raw materials and wool to enable them to work by making things to sell. 2.Those wo refused to work were sent to a special prison funded by the poor rates called the house of correction.
What were the impacts of the poor laws?	Even though there were changes, poverty was still an issue during Elizabeth I's reign due to the conflict with Spain and the revolt in the Netherlands. People were more sympathetic towards vagabonds as they didn't see unemployment as laziness. After the laws less than 10% of vagabonds were whipped but given money as it as cheaper to do that than send them to their home parishes.

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	Created by Helen Johnson about 6 years ago