21-Society in Elizabethan England

Impact of Economic and Social Developments

• Challenges upon Elizabeth’s accession:

  • Came to the throne during a difficult period for the English economy.

  • Bad harvests, high mortality rates, and high taxation.

  • Significant cuts in real wages led to fears of social instability.

  • High levels of mortality reduced the labor supply, increasing bargaining power for workers.

• Government response:

  • Various pieces of legislation were introduced to address social and economic problems, but none were passed into law.

  • Central government had two ineffective mechanisms:

    1. Instructions issued to JPs and officials.

    2. Royal proclamations, which indicated government impotence.

  • The government lacked enforcement power and struggled to address issues it didn’t fully understand.

  • No national bureaucracy existed to investigate wage rates or control enforcement at a local level.

Poor Relief

• Problems of poverty and vagabondage:

  • Poverty was caused by population increase and lower real wages, especially for the laboring poor.

  • Harvest failures, particularly in the 1550s and 1590s, caused food shortages.

  • Private benefactors continued offering charity, but it was insufficient.

• Government concern:

  • William Cecil feared that large numbers of homeless and unemployed people posed a threat to law and order.

  • Legislation was passed in 1552, 1555, and 1563 to address the problem, but national laws lagged behind local provisions.

  • National legislation began to gain traction in the 1570s.

Society: Continuity and Change - Dukes

• Aristocracy and Nobility:

  • The nobility remained dominated by a few hereditary peers.

  • The title of Duke carried inherent dangers:

    • Between 1547-1572, 4 dukes (Somerset, Northumberland, Suffolk, Norfolk) were executed as traitors.

    • Elizabeth was cautious about creating new dukes after 1572.

  • The nobility became more peaceful and less concerned with military defense.

  • The aristocracy sought to enhance prestige through grand building projects to accommodate the Queen during royal progresses.

• Elizabeth’s approach:

  • Elizabeth chose not to replicate the grandeur of her father’s reign and modified some of his building projects.

• Social divisions:

  • The gap between rich and poor widened.

  • Prosperous landed, mercantile, and professional classes saw the beginnings of a consumer society.

  • Poorer populations were vulnerable to enclosure and a persistent decline in real wages.

• Population and urbanization:

  • By the end of Elizabeth's reign, England's population was around 4 million.

  • The majority of people lived in rural areas, with London as the only large city (around 150,000 inhabitants).

  • Largest provincial cities: Norwich and Bristol. Few cities had populations exceeding 5,000.

Society: Continuity and Change - Gentry

• Definition and roles:

  • The gentry comprised a wide social range, from knights to local landowners, county gentlemen, and esquires.

  • County gentlemen and esquires played a dominant role in local government, especially as Justices of the Peace (JPs), often taking on office without tangible rewards.

• Growth of the gentry:

  • The gentry class grew in size during Elizabeth’s reign, and the proportion of wealthy members increased.

Poverty and Poor Relief - The Deserving Poor

• Legislative Measures:

  • 1572 Act: Established the principle that local ratepayers should contribute to the relief of their poor.

  • 1576 Poor Law: The first act attempting to create a national system of poor relief, to be financed and administered locally. It required towns to provide employment for the deserving poor.

  • 1598 & 1601 Acts: These laws completed the legislative process, culminating in the Elizabethan Poor Law (1601), which designated the parish as the institution responsible for raising rates and administering poor relief.

• Responsibilities of Overseers:

  • Overseers were appointed to manage poor relief, including:

    • Relieving the impotent poor.

    • Setting able-bodied people to work.

    • Apprenticing poor children.

  • Overseers’ activities were supervised by JPs.

Poverty and Poor Relief - The Undeserving Poor

• Harsh treatment:

  • The treatment of the "undeserving poor" was severe.

  • 1547 Act: An extremely repressive act against vagrancy, which was later repealed.

  • 1572 Act: Added branding as a punishment for vagrancy.

  • 1597 Act: Established punishments for first-time offenders (whipping and being sent back to their parish) and execution for repeat offenders.