2 - why was there a growth in poverty?

History

Population Growth

Rise in population from 2.9 million in 1500 to 4.3 million in 1600, leading to increased demand for food, clothing, housing, and work.

Rising Inflation

A situation where people's wages decrease in value due to increasing prices.

Bad Harvests

Poor agricultural yields leading to a significant rise in food prices, particularly noted in the years 1556, 1596, and 1597.

Enclosure Movement

Changing farming methods where farmers switched to keeping sheep, resulting in fewer labour needs and the fencing off of common lands.

Dissolution of Monasteries

Henry VIII's action of closing monasteries that provided care for the needy.

Collapse of the Woollen Cloth Trade

A significant downturn in the cloth industry impacting the woollen cloth trade.

Rack-renting

The practice of landlords increasing rents due to rising prices, leading to evictions of poor tenant farmers.

Rural Depopulation

The trend of unemployed farmers moving to towns in search of work.

Vagrancy

The movement of people leaving rural areas to find work in towns, often resulting in begging and petty crime.

Begging and Petty Stealing

Desperate measures taken by vagrants unable to find work, particularly during the reign of Elizabeth I.