Poor law: why was reform thought necessary by 1834?

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Features of the existing poor law

• 1601

• organised around the parish

• rich paying poor rates for impotent, able bodied and idle poor

• worked well in rural society around system of deference

What were the general problems with the Old poor law? (5)

worked in a rural society not an industrial one as (industrial and agricultural revolution)

1. population growth in cities- too many unemployed people =strain on system (when economic recession - hundreds made redundant and poor relief sky rocketed

2. only receive poor law in place of birth- migration to cities means transport cost- high (287,000 year)

3. Speenhamland system 1795- topped up low wages through the poor releif- but encourage employers to reduce wages as knew it would be compensated

4. sense of community breaking down- emergence of capitalist agriculture as farmers got richer

5. system not uniform - some outdoor relief some indoor

What was the intellectual case for change?

1. 1820: dominant view was the old poor law encouraged idleness, didn’t have the incentive to work

   • Speenhamland system

   • Thomas Malthus 'An essay on the principle of population' 1798- population expanding too fast/food running out and poor law making situation worse

2. Immoral: rewarding the underserving poor whilst hardworking landowners/farmers paid poor rates

3. Utilitarians - followers of Jeremy Bentham ‘less eligibility’ concept - make conditions so unpleasant only needy would claim PL - prevent idleness

   • J.R Mulloch in 1830 ‘Principles of Political Economy’ and Edwin Chadwick - support view

4. Worrying pop growth.- poor had more children knowing poor law would provide (Malthus)

What were the economic reasons for change/who disliked it?

• Cost= too high

• 1795- total cost for all parishes= 2m

• 1830- almost 8m

• Dislike by upper/middle classes paying rate

When was the poor law commission set up, who led it and what did they do?

• 1832- led by Erwin Chadwick main aim- saving money and making system uniform across England and Wales

• condemned outdoor relief

• heard evidence but already made its mind- commissioner Nassau Senior wrote report before evidence collected

What did the 1834 Poor law report conclude (commission)

• Old poor law primary cause of of poverty

• Scaving of outdoor relief - it was early abused and able bodied poor taking advantage of work

What recommendations did the committee make?

• Outdoor relief phased out for able bodied poor (some cases to sick and old)

• Relief in workhouses - impotent/able bodied poor

  • conditions unattractive as possible - more miserable than life of the poorest labourer outside (encourage self help/reduce idleness)

• Parishes grouped into unions: over 600 poor law unions with locally elected board of guardians set up to have own workhouses

What happened to recommendations of the Committee?

• Recommendations of report: became provisions of PLAA 1834