PTP - Poor Law

what was the problem with poverty before the poor laws? what were the causes? eg of liverpool?

causes - urbanisation, factory system, poor quality housing, laissez faire, rapid population growth

in liverpool 1840s, 40,000 peoples living in cellars with an average of 6 per cellar

lodging houses had 30 people in one building

disease eg typhus epidemic in 1837, 1839 and 1847 killed 10,000 in the NW

rise in crime due to poverty and also petty theft and violence

what was the poor law before the amendment? when was it? what was the workhouse test?

1601, those who were impotent were in a poorhouse and the able bodied poor in a workhouse

workhouse test was idea that only a person truly in need would go to the workhouse

what was outdoor relief like before the amendment?

parishes were in control of poor and they prefered outdoor relied as it was simpler than providing financial aid to paupers without moving to a workhouse

seasonal labourers prefered it as they may have work at some points of the year

what was the speenhamland system?

1795 onwards, the amount of money calculated a family needed by the cost of bread and size of familt was subsidesed by wages of labourers until they met that cost

what was the labour rate?

a rate payer could either hire labourers for a fixed daily wage or pay a parish rate to support paupers

what was the roundman system?

local paupers hired by local rate payers who paid a part of their wages

parishes paid the rest

what were workhouses like before the amendment?

families split up

children required to go to workhouse school

uniforms may not be fitted properly

bathed once per week

no personal possessions

what was the long term pressure for the change to the poor law?

poor law system almost breaking under the cost of poor relief

f=growing belief that the administration of the poor was corrupt

some worry that it was counter productive and that outdoor relief encouraged laziness

napoleonic war years caused an economic strain which continues in post war period

high unemployment

what were the short term pressure for change to the poor law?

swing riots in south

level of discontent shown the speenhamland system was increasing poverty

fear of revolution as france was in revolution again in 1830

reform crisis- gra 1832 had shown potential for popular protests to cause change

when was the poor law commission set up? how many parishes did they investigate? why did utilitarians oppose poor law? what was the commission? what was wrong with the commission?

set up 1832, 29 commissioners investigated 1500 parishes and senior and chadwick dominated

utilatarians opposed as it forced the greater number to support a minority in poverty

it also prevented working to achieve their own happiness

chadwick and senior had wrote many parts of conclusion before the full investiagtion and only 10% of parishes had replied

when was the poor law amendment act? what did it do?

1834, the commission said that the cost of the poor was £7m, whig gov pass act

5 main ideas of act were

• central authority should be set up to administer poor law

• parishes should form the poor law unions

• each union required a workhouse

• conditions in workhouse must be worse than independant labout

• outdoor relief discouraged

who were the commissioners during the amendment ?

controlled the imposition of the law and they were free to apply the reforms it wanted without public opinion

the commissions had no voice in parliament

their aim was to create 1 workhouse per 10,000 people - many ignored this order

what and when was the oudoor labour test order?

1842, commanded parishes not yet following reforms require paupers to work in labour yards before outdoor relief

what and when was the general outdoor relief prohibitory order?

1844, completely banned outdoor relief

what was the impact of the amendment act in the south by 1837?

rural protests limited due to tolpuddle martyrs

why was the poor law amendment hard to impose in the north?

north economy had taken a down turn and workers might only need a short term temporary relief

who formed the anti poor law league? what was its impact?

formed by wc radicals and tory paternalists

well organised and had petitions and meetings

not sophisticated or moderate movement so many pamphlets threatened violence

faded away by 1839

what was opposition to the new amendment? potery trade in stoke eg? huddersfield eg?

took longer to impose in north and sometimes met with violence

major downturn in potery trade in stoke led to 30,000 unemployed

mob at huddersfield yorkshire urged on the richard oastler, prevented the new board of guardians from using their powers

1839 violent strikes again

new workhouse regime was cause of the rebecca riots in wales 1839

until 1870 what % of relief continued to be outdoor?

70%

what change did the amendment bring about?

central commission introduced to oversee what had been a local parish responsibilty

the state was taking a direct role

expenditure on the poor relief fell from 27% in 1834-7 and a further 3% by 1843

local poor law guardians with responsibility

what was the continuity from the amendment?

many areas continued to opperate unions under older lebislation

settlement laws originally passed 1662 and 1697 to stop paupers moving areas to claim relief had to be enforced

most parishes continued outdoor relied

why were ratepayers unhappy?

more unhappy in north and south less critical

across the country they had to circumvent the commission