Elizabethan Poverty
Why poverty grew in Elizabethan England: population growth, rising prices, rural change and the loss of monastery charity, the way people divided the poor into the deserving and the idle, and the shift from punishing vagrants to organised relief under the Poor Law of 1601.
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A growing problem
During Elizabeth I reign the number of poor people grew, and this worried the government. More people were being born, food prices were rising, changes in the countryside were taking away farm work, and the closing of the monasteries had removed a source of charity. At the same time people drew a sharp line between the poor who could not work and those they believed simply would not. This module looks at why poverty rose, how people thought about the poor, and how the government responded, ending with the Poor Law of 1601.
Poverty words to know
Learn these before you sort any cause or response. The exam wants you to explain why poverty rose and to judge how it was dealt with.
Two views of the poor
Elizabethans divided the poor into two groups and treated them very differently. This division is the key to understanding their responses.
How to explain and judge poverty
To explain why poverty rose, gather the causes and link each one to less work or higher prices for ordinary people. To judge the response, notice how attitudes shaped it: people helped those they thought could not work and punished those they thought would not. Watch how the response changed over time, moving from harsh punishment towards organised local relief. Reach a view rather than just listing measures.
Match the cause to its effect
- the population grew quickly
- prices of food kept rising
- landowners turned fields over to sheep
- the monasteries had been closed down
- there were more people than there was work
- the poor could afford less and less
- fewer farm workers were needed on the land
- a source of charity for the poor was lost
Who were the deserving poor?
Which group did Elizabethans call the deserving poor?
- People such as the old and sick who could not work.
- Able-bodied people who chose not to work.
- Wealthy landowners who lost money.
- Traders visiting from other countries.
Why did poverty rise?
Select the TWO reasons that poverty increased in Elizabethan England.
- The population grew faster than the work available
- Rising prices made food harder to afford
- Too many new theatres were built
- A long period of peace made everyone rich
Count the able-bodied poor
A parish records 40 poor people in total. Of these, 25 are deserving poor who cannot work because they are old or sick. Subtract to find how many are able-bodied poor who could work. What is the answer?
Order how people fell into poverty
Put this chain that pushed country people into poverty in order, earliest first.
- Landowners turn farmland over to sheep
- Fewer farm workers are needed
- People leave the land to look for work in towns
- They cannot find work and fall into poverty
Complete the poverty facts
Poverty rose partly because the _____ grew faster than the work available. Rising food prices, or _____, made things worse. People divided the poor into the deserving poor and the _____ poor. In 1601 the government passed the _____ Law, making each local area care for its own poor.
Match the response to what it did
- whipping and branding vagabonds
- collecting a local poor rate
- giving money or food to the deserving poor
- setting the able-bodied poor to work
- an early harsh punishment meant to scare off wanderers
- a tax on local people to pay for helping the poor
- relief handed to those who could not support themselves
- a way to make the fit poor earn their keep
Spot the true poverty facts
Tap the TWO statements that are true about Elizabethan poverty.
- Rising prices helped push more people into poverty
- The Poor Law of 1601 made each area care for its poor
- Poverty fell steadily throughout the reign
- All the poor were treated in exactly the same way
Judge the case
Read each case and choose the best answer.
- An elderly widow can no longer work because she is frail and has no family to support her. How would Elizabethans have classed her?
- A student asks why poverty rose so much in these years. Which answer is strongest?
- By 1601 the government had brought in a national system for dealing with the poor. What was it?
Explain Elizabethan poverty
Explain why poverty increased in Elizabethan England and how the government and people responded to it.
- Explain two reasons why poverty increased
- Explain how people divided the poor into deserving and idle
- Explain how vagabonds were treated in the earlier response
- Explain what the Poor Law of 1601 required each area to do
- Finish with a judgement on how far the response improved over the reign