Social & economic changes in Elizabeth's early reign

Elizabeth wanted to…

restore confidence in the currency & solve inflation/the lack of value of the coinage

what was done to stabilise the currency?

Early in the reign a scheme was announced for the withdrawal of debased coins and their replacement by minted coins

what was the impact of the scheme?

some individuals suffered as a result of the scheme, but it ensured that only sound coins were in circulation & the government did not have to resort to debasement for the rest of the century

how successful was Elizabeth’s attempt to stabilise the currency?

Elizabeth achieved what two reigns before her had sought to do. Prices still continued to rise (did not fix inflation) but the government could no longer be held responsible for this - Elizabeth couldn’t be blamed reducing the risk of popular rebellion.

what social & economic problems facing Elizabeth upon her ascension to the throne?

Bad harvests, mortal influenza epidemics (1557 & 1558), heavy military expenditure on war, population fell, labourers were demanding higher wages & abandoning their masters, abundance of vagabonds & theives

what did poor relief intend to do?

to solve the problem of poverty & vagabondage which was widespread in late Tudor England

why was there problems of poverty & vagabondage?

this was caused partly by the increase in population - real wages for the labouring poor in Elizabethan England were low & food prices were rising as harvest failures created food shortages (especially in the mid-1550s & mid-1590s)

Before the reformation, the main responsibility for providing poor relief has lain with…

the church

the reformation destroyed those institutions which offered poor relief, meaning…

alternative forms of relief were necessary

Cecil was concerned that…

large numbers of homeless & unemployed people could present a serious threat to law & order - discontentment & a mobile body of people presented the conditions for popular rebellion

how was relief differentiated?

between the ‘deserving’ (old, widows, & those with disabilities that prevented them from finding employment) and the ‘undeserving’ poor. The ‘deserving’ poor were deemed entitled to receive some form of limited assistance to alleviate their condition. The ‘undeserving’ poor were entitled to be punished

when were acts passed?

1552, 1553

what was the result of the 1552 & 1553 Acts

limited success

when was the Statute of Artificers passed?

1563

the Statute of Artificers was a…

national attempt to try and sort these economic & social issues

what did the statute of artificers do?

It established a number of rules: compulsory labour (especially at harvest time), a minimum of 1 year hire of workmen during which they could not leave their masters or be dismissed without good cause, prohibited anyone following a craft unless they served a 7-year apprenticeship and the setting of maximum wage rates by JPs in every county. 

how successful was poor relief?

These acts were mostly ineffective and had a haphazard impact - they didn’t solve the problem of poverty, but benefited the wealthy (by setting a maximum wage) & prevented rebellion (by ensuring jobs for the poor)

National legislation continued to …

lag behind local provision which had been set up in a number of boroughs (e.g. Norwich & Ipswich)

It was not until the … that parliamentary legislation began to get to grips with the problem. 

1570s

It was not until the 1570s that…

parliamentary legislation began to get to grips with the problem.