treatment of the poor

• What years did the Tudor period span?

  1485–1603
• What factors contributed to growing poverty during the Tudor period?

  Population growth, inflation, unemployment, religious reform
• How did the Tudor state change its approach to poverty?

  From local charity to a national approach
• What were the main causes of poverty in the Tudor period?

  • Population growth increased demand for resources
  • Inflation raised prices beyond wages
  • Dissolution of monasteries removed support systems
  • Enclosure displaced peasants and increased unemployment
  • Economic changes shifted to market-driven economy
• How were the poor initially treated at the start of the Tudor period?

  Through local charity and community support
• What shift occurred in attitudes towards the poor as poverty worsened?

  Poor seen as potential threats to social order
• What laws were passed under Henry VII and early Henry VIII regarding beggars?

  To punish beggars and vagabonds
• What was the distinction made between the poor under Tudor laws?

  Deserving poor vs. undeserving poor
• What were the key laws introduced to regulate the treatment of the poor?

  • 1531 Vagabonds Act: Required licenses to beg
  • 1547 Vagrancy Act: Harsh penalties for vagabonds
  • 1572 Vagabonds Act: Introduced national poor rates
  • 1601 Elizabethan Poor Law: Established parish responsibility
• What did the 1531 Vagabonds Act require from the poor?

  A license to beg for the impotent poor
• What punishment did the 1547 Vagrancy Act impose on vagabonds?

  Branded with a "V" and forced into slavery
• Why was the 1547 Vagrancy Act quickly repealed?

  It was very unpopular
• What did the 1572 Vagabonds Act introduce?

  National poor rates for local parishes
• What was established by the 1601 Elizabethan Poor Law?

  Parish responsibility for the poor
• What roles did the Overseers of the Poor have under the 1601 Poor Law?

  • Provide relief for the deserving poor
  • Enforce work or punishment for the undeserving poor
  • Apprentice or train children of the poor
• What was the impact of the Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601?

  Established government responsibility for poverty
• What were the positive impacts of the Poor Laws?

  Provided basic assistance and reduced vagrancy
• What limitations existed in the treatment of the poor under the Poor Laws?

  Focused on control and punishment
• How did attitudes towards the deserving and undeserving poor change during the Tudor period?

  • Deserving poor: viewed sympathetically, offered relief
  • Undeserving poor: treated as criminals, punished for idleness
  • Moral judgement influenced social policy for generations
• What fundamental transformation occurred in the treatment of poverty during the Tudor period?

  Shift from community responsibility to state intervention
• What did the Poor Laws reflect about government responsibility?

  Recognition of a role in managing poverty
• How long did the framework established by the Elizabethan Poor Law last?

  Over 200 years
• What was the balance achieved by the Poor Laws?

  Care with control, compassion with coercion