Causes of increased poverty

what were the causes of increased poverty in Elizabethan England?

unemployment in industries, increasing population, inflation, harvests & changes in farming, the closure of monastaries

English wool exports to Europe were…

England’s most important industry

The cloth industry collapsed in the…

1550s

what was the impact of the collapse of the cloth industry in the 1550s?

caused tens of thousands of people to lose their jobs

there was a … of the population during Elizabeth’s reign

steep rise

how much did the population grow under Elizabeth?

by 35%

London by 1600 had a population of…

20,000

by the end of Elizabeth’s reign the population was…

around 4 million

what did the rise in population mean?

there were more people looking for jobs however, there were few jobs available especially after the collapse of the cloth trade

After 1570 there was a…

sharp increase in food prices

After 1570 there was a sharp increase in food prices however…

wages did not increase meaning people struggled to afford basic food

what was rising food prices made worse by?

the increasing population & bad harvests

there were bad harvests in…

the 1570s & 1590s

what did bad harvests cause?

starvation & inflation

what changes in farming took place?

Farmers also started to keep sheep instead of crops as this would make more profit

what did the change to sheep farming mean?

farmers did not need as many labourers & many lost their jobs, less land was being used to grow crops + feeding sheep over winter meant some crops were grown only for animals to eat

what forced famers to move to towns looking for work?

Landlords increased the rent for farmers which many could not afford

Enclosure meant that…

previously open fields which were farmed by villagers now were only accessible to individuals meaning people lost their right to graze animals, gather firewood & forage for food

what was passed in 1597?

the Tillage Act was passed meaning that all land converted to crops to pasture during Elizabeth’s reign should be reverted

Before the reformation, the main responsibility for proving poor relief had lain with…

monasteries

what did the disillusion mean for the poor?

the dissolution destroyed these institutions & their charitable benefits

how was Tudor government in providing poor relief?

Tudor government was slow to act in terms of poor relief legislation because it was not an established field of activity, the church, monasteries & charitable houses had been deemed sufficient previously, & when the government did take action it was often too slow & too little or ineffective.