why was the new Poor Law introduced in 1834?
- Created by: emilybachee
- Created on: 25-04-14 12:55
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- why was a new Poor Law introduced in 1834?
- 1. problems with the old system
- could not cope with the pressures of the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions
- it made each parish responsible for its own poor, by means of a local tax, the poor rate
- some parish may have to pay more
- many parishes to make tax spread more even
- resent poor- see who actually needed + deserved relief
- pay based on how desperate relief ndeed
- not just no. of children
- pay based on how desperate relief ndeed
- it was not standardised, but varied greatly from parish. Some places put the poor in workhouses (indoor relief)
- others helped them in their own homes (outdoor relief)
- in rural areas, enclosure and mechanisation led to seasonal unemployment and hardship-hence the Swing Riots 1830-31
- find jobs that last all year
- in urban areas, wages for unskilled factory work were low, and economic slumps caused sudden waves of unemployment
- teach unskilled new skills so they can do better paid jobs
- it made each parish responsible for its own poor, by means of a local tax, the poor rate
- could not cope with the pressures of the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions
- 2. Unsuccessful attempts to adapt the system
- the Speenhamland system operated in some parishes in the South.
- It paid outdoor relief to unemployed or low-paid labourers, based on the number in the family and the price of bread
- encouraged more children- increased population further
- make all able bodied work- or no benefits
- other systems were also tried, inc the 'roundsman system' where the overseer of the poor took paupers round the local farms
- offering to to pay part of the daily wage to farmers who would take on extra workers
- cost system still meant farmers would lose money for unwanted workers
- make more work
- these systems were better for the poor, but cost a lot and discouraged employers from paying fair wages
- minimum wage?
- the Speenhamland system operated in some parishes in the South.
- 3. Aims of the Benthamite reformers
- the Benthamites wanted to impose a much more uniform, efficient and low-cost system
- too strict? - opposition
- They wanted to deter all but the really desperate from seeking poor relief
- lose support from those thief defer
- in a typically Benthamite move, the Whigs set up a Royal Commission to inquire into the Poor Law. it was headed by Edwin Chadwick, a disciple of Jeremy Bentham
- challenges gov
- the Benthamites wanted to impose a much more uniform, efficient and low-cost system
- 1. problems with the old system
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