Population Growth + poverty

• What percentage of the population was considered the "settled" poor in Britain during the 17th century?

  About 25%
• Which class began to increase in wealth and status during the early 17th century in Britain?

  The Gentry
• What impact did the Poor Laws have on the lives of the poor during the 17th century?

  They helped ease the burden of poverty by providing assistance.
• What factors had impact on population growth in Britain 1625 - 88?

  Migration, Mortality and Fertility, Growth of London and other towns.
• What was a significant characteristic of the "vagrant" poor during the 17th century?

  They travelled to find work and were often seen as threats to society.
• What was a common destination for individuals migrating in search of work during the population growth period of 1625-88?

  Newly established colonies in North America.
• Between 1580 and 1640 poor migrants from all parts of Britain poured into three Kentish towns.
• Where did wealthy landowners and merchants move to?

  They travelled to London to take advantage of the many attractions.
• What town was attractive to Dutch migrants and why?

  Kentish towns like Cranbrook and Maidstone as they were well established centres of cloth trade.

  By 1585, 120 Dutch workers lived in Maidstone.
• What percentage of Norwich were migrants?

  35%.
• What did an increase in job security mean for children?

  It meant that more children were being born.
• Due to the decline in plagues, mortality rates decreased causing increase in population from 1.5 mil in 1450s to 2.5 mil in 1520s.
• Fertility rates were high during the 16th century however it started to fall in 1650s. This was because in the middle of the century, average marriage age was 28 and 26 for men and women compared to 26 and 24 earlier in the century.
• What did the increase in the average marriage age mean for children?

  It meant that less children were being born per marriage.
• What did the growth of London mean for rural economies?

  It had a positive impact on these economies because huge amounts of goods needed to be imported e.g. 400% more grain between 1600 and 1680 were needed to feed the city.
• By 1650, London overtook Paris and Naples to become the largest city in Western Europe.
• Population of London was estimated to vary from 400,000 to 500,000.
• What did the growth of London mean for infrastructure?

  It had a positive impact on infrastructure as it meant that landowners were willing to invest in improving rivers, roads and wagons as these were needed for good to be supplied.
• Around 7% of English population lived in London increasing to 9% in 1700.
• Outside London, what town was the most Populus in the 17th century?

  Norwich as in the first quarter of the 17th century, it had a population on 30,000 compared to 10,000 in 1500.
• What factors affected the growth of population?

  Migration, growth of London, growth of other towns, mortality & fertility.
• In 1600, there were 6 towns with the population of over 5,000 compared to about 30 towns in 1700.
• Wealthy landowner and Merchants moved to London in order to take advantage of the opportunities it provided.
• How many people moved to North American colonies?

  About 200,000 people followed puritans to American colonies.
• Why were Dutch migrants attracted to Norwich?

  Norwich was the centre of cloth trade and Dutch migrants were skilled weavers which meant they could earn a living through their stay.
• Towns like York and Newcastle experienced a population rise to 12,000 in 1625 compared to 10,000 in 1500.
• The population was able to recover quickly form diseases. For example, when the plague hit in 1665, parish records shows that children who died were replaced within 10 years.
• What section of the population lived near the poverty line?

  Two-thirds.
• What was the overall impact of population growth?

  It increased the number of people being called vagrants as it meant that more people were in search of jobs causing mass unemployment. However, It still had little benefits.
• Cloth industry was the biggest employer outside of agriculture.
• After 1650, farmers found it hard to invest in their farms due to inflation.
• When the eldest member of a family died in the 17th century, young members of the family had a higher chance of getting married and having children.
• The North East England was the centre of the coal extraction industry and Newcastle continued to develop as a result.
• Towns like Bristol which expanded during the 17th century were generally ports or industrial centres and therefore expanded due to trade.