Life for the Poor in Elizabethan England

847 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Elizabethan laws and current social welfare policy

Life for the poor in Elizabethan England was very harsh. The poor did not share the same luxuries and items as the wealthier families. There was no way for the poor to get help that they needed. Unlike today, welfare was not available to give help and support. The government in Tudor England became concerned about the poor that lived in their community. They soon noticed the changes in agriculture during this time period. Do to this people were led away from the country and village life to find employment in the towns. Wool trade increases significantly. They had noticed that there was a vast increase of the poor. There were more of the poor than there were the rich. In the city along, with the farmland they were having a difficult time finding a job. If that wasn’t enough, a series of poor harvest had occurred. This meant the price of food would increase dramatically. This took effect on people dying of starvation and malnutrition. Homeless and malnutrition citizens were becoming a danger to society, due to the dangerous measures they were enduring to find food. This was becoming more of a danger to the society. The government was becoming more and more concerned for them, and acted as fast as they could. They decided to make every parish in charge of the poor and unemployed. The justice of peace (JP’s) was allowed to take tax from those who owned land in the parish. This had two benefits for the poor. It made them feel as if something was being done for them finally. It also made them feel less upset about their current situation. Secondly, it could benefit the parish by the good work the poor does for the parish. The poor were divided into three different groups by the government. The first group was labeled the “helpless... ... middle of paper ... ...the act was described as “the poor should be set to work”. That relief was the poor would be left in their own homes and given money and kind offerings of food and clothes and other items that might be needed. Most of the poor population chose that option over the Indoor law. The 1601 law stated, that the poor and unemployed parents that had children were responsible for themselves. Elderly parents were expected to live with their children and be taken care of to the best of their ability by their children. The Elizabethan laws was considered as a religious duty of feeding the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcoming the strange, give clothing to the naked, visiting the sick, visiting the prisoners, and burying the dead. The legislation was intended to help settle the poor by providing them with jobs, food, clothes and other generally offered gifts.

Show More
Related

  • Attitudes Regarding Europe's Poor, 1450-1700

    675 Words  | 2 Pages

    Between 1450 and 1700, attitudes toward the European poor changed dynamically, roughly following a three-part cycle. In the late 1400's, the poor were regarded with sympathy and compassion; generous aid from both public and religious institutions was common. By the 16th Century, however, the poor were treated with suspicion and harsh measures, to ensure that they were not becoming lazy, using welfare as a substitute for labor. Beginning in the 17th Century, the attitudes toward the poor again shifted, returning to more sympathetic views and responses, though many members of the upper-class still retained the negative outlook on the destitute of the 16th Century.

    Read More

  • Elizabethan Caste System

    480 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Elizabethans had a very static and structured social caste system. From rocks to angels and God the Elizabethans in England had a place for them. As seen in the illustration the stairs represent different social classes. At the very top are the spiritual beings of course, because the English in this time period valued religion over all else. In the article the author saw that Shakespearean people had a very organized way to put all objects. First they put spiritual beings with God at the top and human souls at the bottom. After that was living organisms such as humans and plants which is where most attention was payed. From the reading passage it can be seen that as your rank in society increases you start to develop certain characteristics so a king may have some characteristics a peasant doesn’t and therefore is placed on a

    Read More

  • Crime And Punishment In The Elizabethan Era

    546 Words  | 2 Pages

    Today some people can get away with just about any small crime with no punishments, but in the Elizabethan era you'd think twice before committing a crime. For stealing fruit in the Elizabethan era you can lose your hand. Today you would get community service or some other small punishment. The punishment you were given had to do with the crime, your wealth, and who you were connected to.

    Read More

  • Black Death Dbq Essay

    553 Words  | 2 Pages

    Prices had risen since the Black Death. Wages didn’t rise as fast as the prices causing the peasants to suffer from hunger and supplies shortages.

    Read More

  • Shocking Pattern Of Criminalization In 13TH, By Ava Duvernay

    733 Words  | 2 Pages

    in place designed to keep the poor from success. It focused mainly on the discriminatory side, like the

    Read More

  • Work Conditions and Child Labor in the Nineteenth Century

    2068 Words  | 5 Pages

    Agriculture was still the primary employer in England. In 1851 the English estimated that there were about One million people working in agriculture in Britain. This amounted to twenty-eight percent of the countries families were involved in the industry. Early on in the century life for the agricultural laborers was slightly better than their brethren in the emergent factories. However the situation was changing. A Parliamentary report of 1824 put the wages of farm workers at about 3 shillings(s.) a week. By 1840 this had increased to only 8s. to 9s. a week. But this was not much when considering that a half-gallon loaf of bread cost 1s. Ten years later England's economy had shifted from agriculture to industry(Burnett, 31). Men working in factories could make between two to three times more than they could as farm workers.

    Read More

  • Yank Motherfucker

    983 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the mid 18th century through the 19th century England started the Industrial Revolution. At the end of the industrial revolution there were more advantages than disadvantages, because the industrial revolution had to had cynical altercation in order for an increase in positive results. For example, the way goods were now manufacture. The goods were no longer produced in the household but in factories. England’s society had grown from agricultural to an industry dependent on manufacturing. Since the replacement of manual labor to manufacturing,the transformation of productivity and technical efficiency grew.For example, discipline managers would whip their workers if a task was not complete in the right format. The industrial revolution made people migrate from rural areas into urban communities in search of work which led to the expansion of cities.

    Read More

  • Postive Effects of Medieval Social Classes

    744 Words  | 2 Pages

    The development of social classes in medieval England affected life for the people in many positive ways. It served as a means of organization to base their daily lives off of, and also gave the peasants and trade classes protection from the rulers and the clergy class in return for their labor and allegiance (“Quizlet”). Life in the Middle Ages was based on the framework of social classes so they could flourish socially and economically.

    Read More

  • The Bubonic Plague: The Black Death

    881 Words  | 2 Pages

    plague, things changed. The rich and the poor were both dying of this terrible disease.

    Read More

  • Elizabethan Poor Law

    728 Words  | 2 Pages

    "A Brief Explanation of the Poor Law in respect of Rural Communities 1601 - 1834." Rossbret Workhouse. N.p.. Web. 27 Feb 2014. .

    Read More

  • The Industrial Revolution: Poor Living Conditions Of Great Britain

    590 Words  | 2 Pages

    The living conditions of Great Britain developed into a very poor country due to overpopulation because of the Industrial Revolution. The houses they lived in were very dilapidated and not in great condition for people to be living in. “The wife’s face was dirty and tangled hair hung over her eyes. Her cap was ill washed and slovenly put on.” “The wet came in at the door of the only room, and when it rained, through every part of the roof also: large drops fell on her as she lay in her bed: in

    Read More

  • quiz

    866 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...residents sought to promote the welfare of all those who were afflicted by poverty. They helped the poor because they believed that if given the opportunity then they would one day succeed and be productive citizens like non-poor Americans. They also strove to figure out why the poor were poor. They wanted to change the social as well as economic standing of those who were afflicted by poverty.

    Read More

  • The Elizabeth Poor Law

    833 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Elizabeth Poor Law, Act of 1601: were very important in the development of social welfare in North America because, of the migration of American settlers from England and Europe in the early part of the 17th century. They came with semi-feudal ideas and, created communal, hierarchical and regulated enclaves that conformed to older traditions. As North America gained strong popularity, and the increase in population, it was important to have a foundation or a guide that would help addressed the needs of the poor. The Elizabeth Poor Laws served as the guide f...

    Read More

  • Essay About Social Work

    1150 Words  | 3 Pages

    Helping the poor and needy in the forms of providing free eating houses, distributing second-hand clothing, giving alms to the poor, and establishing asylums for wounded soldiers and abandoned children were some of the primary concerns of these civilizations (Farley et al., 2011). In 1536, England established laws for the collection of alms on Sundays (Farley et al., 2011). With the establishment of the Elizabethan Poor Laws, welfare became the federal government’s responsibility (Farley et al., 2011). This law contributed to the development of social welfare and assisted both those who were able and incapable of working. However, those capable of working were to be provided with work, and if they refused to work, they were imprisoned; orphaned and dependent children were to be apprenticed until they could care for themselves (Farley et al.,

    Read More

  • Essay On Women In Elizabethan England

    1101 Words  | 3 Pages

    Living in England in the late sixteenth century, people were dependent on status and occupation; the rich lived luxuriously while the poor were subjected to low wages, scare resources, diseases, and famine. “The gap between the rich and the poor seems to have widened in the 1570s and 1580s; wealth and power are concentrated in the hands of the few, and many people can’t even find a job” (Papp and Kirkland 4). Agriculture was the most important industry in the Elizabethan economy. The majority of people in the 16th century lived in the country, and were dependent on harvest and farming. Men were farmers and women were subjected to household duties such as domestic work and spinning wool to make clothing. As a farmer men were responsible for the fieldwork, plowing, weeding, mowing, herding animals, and harvesting agricultural products. People were financially deprived despite their occupation in farming and spinning; income was at its lowest:

    Read More

More about Life for the Poor in Elizabethan England

Open Document