The problem of the poor

• You were considered poor in Elizabethan England if:

  • You spent more than 80 percent of your income on bread
  • You could not provide for your family e.g. as you are sick
  • If you required alms (charity)
• Orphaned children were often in poverty. 40 percent of the poor were under 16 years old
• Sheep farming was growing. Selling wool was more profitable, so many farmers began rearing sheep instead of growing food.
• Enclosure was where land was divided into fields for animal husbandry (taking care of animals e.g. for their wool) and for arable farming (crops).
• Enclosure led to there being no more common land, so many could not provide for their families. It also drove many tenants off land, leading them to turn to vagabondage
• Bad harvests hit farmers in 1573 and 1586, which led to food prices going up
• Trade embargo - Restriction of trade of certain products or goods
• Trade embargos by Spain due to tensions over the Netherlands led to unemployment and poverty, as less money was earned through exports
• The population of England went from 3 million in 1551 to 4.2 million in 1601
• The increased population in England increased the demand for food. Ordinary people could no longer feed themselves and their families
• Food prices rose as more food had to be transported from the rural area to be sold
• Increasing population led to a higher demand for land. Therefore, rents became higher and many people could not afford land
• Monasteries had helped the poor before the 1530s, where Henry VIII abolished them.