Elizabeth's Poor Laws, 1563-1576 (Edexcel GCSE History)

Elizabeth's Poor Laws between 1563 and 1576 demonstrated a shift in how the government viewed poverty. The majority of medieval monarchs had a laissez-faire attitude. This meant that they did not believe in interfering in the lives of their subjects. Society and the government saw unemployment and poverty as the fault of the person. If they were physically able to work, it was their responsibility to find and keep a job. By 1563, the government's attitude began to change. Elizabeth's Poor Laws were the national policies that acknowledged and tackled the issue of unemployment. It paved the way for further support for the poor, and a step towards the welfare system we have in Britain today.

Elizabeth's Poor Laws did not significantly impact the levels of poverty in the 16th century. Levels of poor relief differed across England depending upon people's attitudes to the poor. Many Elizabethans still feared vagrants and wanted harsh punishment of the 'Idle' Poor. England's continued conflict with Spain impacted England's cloth trade, which increased unemployment.

The Statute of Artificers, 1563

Vagabonds Act, 1572

Poor Relief Act, 1576

Aims

To ensure all Elizabethans contributed to poor relief

To reduce the levels of vagrancy in towns and cities

To determine the genuine poor that needed help from those who did not want or accept government poor relief

Positive features

It made local officials and society accountable for providing poor relief. People who refused to pay poor relief faced imprisonment. Justices of the Peace who did not collect poor relief were fined £20

It created a national system to monitor and help the poor. Each area of England had to pay the same poor rate. Justices of the Peace kept a register of who was poor. Finding work for the unemployed was the responsibility of local officials

The Poor Relief Act gave practical support for the poor. Justices of the Peace provided the able-bodied poor with raw materials to create goods for sale

Negative features

The rising prices of goods in England affected all areas of society. Some people could not afford to contribute towards poor relief

Punishments for vagrants increased. Physical punishments included drilling holes in vagabonds' ears. If arrested three times, vagrants faced the death penalty

The government punished the poor if they refused to use the government's materials. The poor rate paid for the building of special prisons called houses of correction.

Many people's attitudes towards vagabonds slowly changed. Only 10% of vagrants received the punishment of whipping. Most parishes gave vagrants money if they promised to leave the town

Vagrants still scared people in society. In some towns, people distributed pamphlets warning of the dangers of vagabondage. This only increased fear

Elizabethans acknowledged unemployment as a genuine problem. The Poor Relief Act provided the unemployed with a way to work out of poverty with independence and pride. This influenced the government's approach to poverty until the 1800s

The Poor Laws could not control external factors which caused poverty in England. Poverty remained high due to England's conflict with Spain. English merchants used the Netherlands as a base to sell cloth across Europe. Spain blocked England's access to this market, which resulted in economic difficulties for England