In 1495, the Vagabonds and Beggars Act was passed, this led to 'idle' people being placed in stocks and then sent back to their home town or village. People saw vagabonds as lazy and the guilty of bringing trouble upon themselves. During the 16th century, there was detailed documents of the types of beggars on the streets and many assumed these people had no honest needs:

Dummerers - people impersonating a deaf or mute individual
Drunken tinkers - these were thieves who used trade as a cover story
Prancers - stole horses
Kinchin morts - female beggars

Many laws were passed in order to deal with beggars on the streets.

The Vagrancy Act 1547:

Any healthy and fit vagabond who had not worked for three days was branded with the letter V, then sold into slavery for two years
This was a very severe law and the punishment was often not carried out
The law was repealed after three years.

1597 Act for the Relief of the Poor:

Severe punishments in order to deter vagabonds
These including public whipping or using a hot iron to burn the person

Society and Crime