Poor Laws and Vagrancy Act

1531

Poor Law

• Beggars and Vagrants to be whipped

• Licenses

1547

Vagrancy Act

• 1st offence - ‘V’ on chest, slave for 2 years

• 2nd - ‘S’ on face + slave for life

• 3rd - execution

• impotent poor to return to parishes

1550

Repeal

1552

Poor Law

• parish priests pressure people for contributions

• impotent poor must be registered

1559

Act of Uniformity

• money from recusancy fines to poor relief

1563

Act for the Relief of the Poor

• compulsory contributions

• or imprisonment

Second of 1563

Statute of Artificers

• illegal for males aged 12-60 to leave employment without permission

1572

Poor Law

• unlicensed - boring hole through ear

• license signed by JPs

• should build houses of correction

1576

1 house of correction per county

1597-98

11/17 bills introduced dealt with poverty

1597

Vagrancy Act

• return to parishes

1601

Poor Relief Act

• first new poor law since 1576

• system of poor relief would last until 19th C

• defined Overseer of the Poor (introduced 1572) position

  • assessed money needed

  • other parishes could provide

Second one of 1597

Tillage Act

• pasture land closed since 1588 to be restored for arable farming

1586-87

Book of Orders

• for JPs in times of crisis

• ones in famine reprinted in 1594 and 1595