Elizabethan England

Why did Elizabeth I chose not to create anymore Dukes after 1572?

highest peerage title, Duke - carried inherent dangers in Tudor England

• each of the four ducal titles; Somerset, Northumberland, Suffolk and Norfolk - met bloody ends

Elizabeth I was being cautious

By Elizabeth I’s reign, why had the nobility become more peaceful?

less concerned about defence

How did the nobility sought to enhance their prestige during Elizabeth I’s reign?

massive building projects - accommodate the queen in appropriate surroundings on royal progresses

• e.g. Burghley & Wilton conceived and build on a grand scale

Who were members of the gentry?

influential knights and figures of importance (e.g. Sir Christopher Hatton), to modest local landowners

• country gentlemen and esquires - dominated local government through their work as Justices of the Peace (JPs)

What happened to the gentry class during Elizabeth I’s reign?

increased in size and the proportion that was seriously wealthy went up

During Elizabeth I’s reign, how did the other layers of society differ from the beginning of the century?

gap between the wealthy and poor widened

• witnessed the beginnings of consumer society amongst the prosperous members of the landed, mercantile and professional classes

What is Enclosure?

practice of dividing up land which was once owned by the people where sheep will be placed in the fields

• typically large open fields into smaller ‘enclosed’ pieces of land that instead belonged to one person only

During Elizabeth I’s reign, what were the poorer sections of the population vulnerable to?

• enclosure

• persistent decline in real wages

By the end of Elizabeth I’s reign, what was the population like in England?

4 million

By the end of Elizabeth I’s reign, where did the bulk of people live?

countryside

By the end of Elizabeth I’s reign, what was the only large city?

London - population of 150,000

• magnet for migrants from other parts of the country

By the end of Elizabeth I’s reign, what was the other large cities?

Bristol & Norwich - few other cities had population excess of 5000

Why was there a poverty crisis during Elizabeth I’s reign?

• Rising population (4 million)

• Inflation

• Wars

• Cloth Trade

• Bad Harvests (1594-98)

• Enclosure

• Dissolution of Monasteries

Traditionally, what was the main source of support for the poor?

charity - rich people made donations to hospitals, monasteries and other organisations that helped the poor

Why were charitable donations no longer enough to support the poor during Elizabeth I’s reign?

poverty became so bad!

Why were Elizabeth I’s government worried about the poverty levels?

threat to law and order - as poverty levels increased so did crime

• Elizabeth and her government had to step in to solve the problem of poverty

When did developments in laws dealing with the poor in Elizabeth I’s reign begin?

1572

In 1572 what did developments in laws were made to deal with the poor during Elizabeth I’s reign?

Act of Parliament made a distinction between those who were genuinely unemployed and the ‘idle poor’

• Helpless Poor

• The Deserving Poor

• The Undeserving Poor

In 1572, who were defined as the Helpless Poor?

those who were unable to support themselves including orphanages, elderly, sick or disabled

In 1572, who were defined as the Deserving Poor?

people who wanted to work, but were unable to find a job

• Impotent Poor

In 1572, who were defined as the Impotent Poor?

a subcategory of the deserving poor, which compromised those who could no longer look after themselves, either because of age or infirmary or because they were

In 1572, who were defined as the Undeserving Poor?

beggars, criminals and people who refused to work - also migrant workers (Vagabonds) who left their homes and travelled around looking for work

When did we see measures put into place to relieve poverty?

late years of Elizabeth’s reign

When were the 4 acts passed to relieve poverty for the deserving poor during Elizabeth I’s reign?

• Act of 1572

• Act of 1576

• 1597 and 1601 Acts

What was the Act of 1572 passed regarding the deserving poor during Elizabeth I’s reign?

the local ratepayers should be required to pay a rate for the relief of the poor (tax)

What was the Act of 1576 passed regarding the deserving poor during Elizabeth I’s reign?

first attempt to create a national poor system to be financed and administered locally

• under the system towns had to make provisions for employment of the deserving poor

What was the 1597 and 1601 Acts passed regarding the deserving poor during Elizabeth I’s reign?

completed the legislative process

• under Elizabeth’s Poor Law Act 1601 - Parish became the designated institution to raise money for the poor, had to appoint an overseer - key responsibility was reliving the deserving poor (impotent) setting them able-bodied work and apprenticing children

• activities were supervised by the Justices of Peace

• Compulsory poor rate was introduced to help the poor

What had Elizabeth I’s government done with the legislation for the deserving poor?

taken it upon themselves to take responsibility of ensuring minimum level of subsistence for the deserving poor

• 1601 Poor Act would remain intact until 1834

How did Elizabeth I’s policies towards the deserving poor and the undeserving poor differ?

underserving poor’s treatment was harsher!

When were the 3 acts passed towards the undeserving poor during Elizabeth I’s reign?

• 1572

• 1576

• 1597

Although under the Duke of Somerset in 1547 the Vagrancy Act had been passed and since repealed what notion still remained?

underserving poor was to be whipped

What act was passed in 1572 regarding the undeserving poor during Elizabeth I’s reign?

an Act was added giving authorities a range of punishment to authorities

What act was passed in 1576 regarding the undeserving poor during Elizabeth I’s reign?

Houses of correction were set up to punish those who refused to work

What act was passed in 1597 regarding the undeserving poor during Elizabeth I’s reign?

during the bad harvest in 1597 - act passed which said first time offenders had to be taken back to their home town were their local parish would deal with them, they would also be whipped

• repeat offenders could also be executed