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HISTORY - POVERTY
66 cards·by lola1234
What was the role of Overseers?
To administer Poor Relief to their parish
Who were Overseers (usually)?
Church wardens, landowners
What did the Elizabethan Poor Law dictate?
Ratepayers were responsible for their poor
What were the four broad catergories of the poor from the 17th century?
The impotent poor, the able-bodied poor, those who refused to work, pauper children
Why was Outdoor relief the most common form of Poor Relief?
It was the most cost effective and easily administered
What was the Speenhamland System?
It was a way of providing relief by subsidising low wages
What was new about the Speenhamland system?
It established a relationship between the price of bread and the size of a family
The Settlement Law of 1662 clarified that a responsible parish could be either that of a
individual's...?
birth place, marriage, inheritance or apprenticeship
What was Jeremy Bentham and Edwin Chadwick's attitude to the Poor Law?
Reform
What was Thomas Malthus-Clergy and David Ricardo's attitude to the Poor Law?
Abolition
When was the Elizabethan Poor Law passed?
1601
When was the Settlement Act passed?
1662
When was the Gilbert's Act passed?
1782
What did the Gilbert's Act enable parishes to do?
Combine to establish a common workhouse
What year and where was the Speenhamland system developed?
1795, Berkshire
Why was the Poor Law reformed?
Costs, fear of social instability, pressure for political reform, the belief that the
1601P.L contributed to declining moral standards
What year was the Poor Law reformed?
1834
What were Rotten Boroughs?
Places that had been of importance during the middle ages but had fallen into decay by the 19th
century
What did Boroughs have the right to do?
Elect two people to the HoC
What was the problem with Rotten Boroughs?
They continued to send 2 reps despite them having few inhabitants
What were Burgage boroughs?
Inhabitants' right to vote was linked directly to owning a particular property
What were Pocket boroughs?
Where the largest landowners controlled the local electorate
What were Corporation boroughs?
Where the right to vote belonged to any member of the corporation or council
What were Freeman boroughs?
Where the right to vote was given to any freeman of the borough
What were Potwalloper boroughs?
Where the right to vote was linked to owning a property will a fireplace and lockable door
What were Scot and Lot boroughs?
Where the right to vote was linked to paying local rates and taxes
Why was Old Sarum such a scandelous example of a rotten borough?
The owners of the Burgage houses didn't live there and still sent 2 reps to the HoC
When and what was the Cato Street Conspiracy?
Feb 1820, it was an attempt to murder all the British cabinet ministers and PM
When and what was the Peterloo Massacre?
Aug 1819, a crowd gathered to demand the reform of the parliamentary system
What is the Peterloo Massacre also known as?
The Manchester massacre
When and what was the Pentrich rebellion?
June 1817, a group of working men in Derbyshire marched to Nottingham believing they were
partof a national rebellion
When and what were the Spa Fields protests?
Dec 1816, a meeting by a group of radicals who called for revolution and redistribution of land
When was the attack on the Prince Regent?
Jan 1817
When and what was the Blanketeers march?
March 1817, a peaceful march of cotton workers from Manchester who carried blankets in
whichto sleep
When did the Napoleonic wars end?
1815
What hardships did the poor face with the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars?
The supply of labour increased, grain prices started to fall, started to cut wages
What were further problem faced by the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars?
The introduction of threshing machines meant a loss of agricultural labourers
When and what were the Swing Riots?
During 1820s, farmers were sent threatening letters demanding higher wages and not to use
threshing machines
What were the Swing Riot letters addressed with?
Captain Swing
Who was Edmund Burke?
A british writer horrified by revolution
When was the Commission of Enquiry into the Operation of the Poor Law set up?
1832
Who was Nassau Senior?
A political economist at Oxford University strongly influenced by Bentham's ideas
When did the Commission of Enquiry into the Operation of the Poor Law publish it's report?
1834
What did the Commision of Enquiry into the Operation of the Poor Law do?
They sent out questionnaires to parishes and assistant commisioners to investigate the
operation of the Poor Law
How many parishes were sent the questionnaire by the COEITOOTPL?
15,000
How many responses did the COEITOOTPL recieve?
1,500
What did the COEITOOTPL forget in their report?
The operation of the Speenhamland system was decling, most relief went to the deserving poor,
the cost per head of poor relief had fallen
When was the Poor Law Amendment Act passed?
1834
What were the terms of the Poor Law Amendment Act?
Outdoor relief was discouraged, Parishes were to be grouped into unions, sexes were
seperated in the workhouses
What was the administrative structure of the new Poor Law? (1834-47)
Poor Law Commission -> Assistant Commissioners -> Board of Guardians
What was the administrative structure of the new Poor Law? (1847-75)
Poor Law Board -> Inspectors -> Board of Guardians
What did Richard Oastler believe?
It was the responsiblity of the ruling class to protect the weak and vulnerable
Who was the leader of the Ten Hour Movement?
Richard Oastler
What did Richard Oastler campaign for?
A maximum ten hour day for children in textile factories
Who was John Fielden the son of?
The owner of a small textile business
What did John Fielden help do?
Set up anti-Poor Law associations
Why was cyclical unemployment such a problem in the Industrial north?
The economies of some towns were dependent on one particular industry whose fortunes were
determined by international trade conditions
How many parishes had been unionised by 1840?
14,000
Between the years of 1833 to 1844 what had happened to the cost of poor relief per head?
Decreased by a third
Why was there little opposition to the 1834 Poor Law in the rural south?
It coincided with good harvests and the fate of the Tolpuddle Martyrs deterred opposition
Why was the Poor Law Board more effective than the Poor Law Commission?
It was headed by an MP and included cabinet ministers
By 1875 how many less paupers were receiving outdoor relief compared to 1850?
250,000
When was the Outdoor Relief Prohibitory order passed?
1844
What attitude changed the most in regards to poverty?
Poverty was seen as the result of economic circumstances rather than the fault of the poor
themselves
Why was the principal of less eligibility in the workhouses occassionally hard to fulfil?
The inmates received medical attention and a guarantee of regular meals and children were
educated
What did lack of Assistant Commissioners and inspectors lead to?
The frequent abuse of the system e.g. corruption and mistreatment of workhouse inmates