History A-Level: Paupers and Pauperism

• Provided relief to the poor and needy.
• Parish Officials set the poor rate.
• In the 19th century the poor law was seen as failing due to the mobile population.
• Napoleonic Wars - poor law was criticised due to the emergency measures used during the war.

Advantages:

• Showed greater snesitivity to the poor.

• Disitinguished between the poor and not poor.

Disadvantages:

• Created diversity.
• Overseers didn't want to help the poor, because they didn't want to pay taxes.

Deserving Poor - These were the people who deserved to have poor relief, beucase they were poor due to no fault of their own. E.G. Children, old and the sick.

Undeserving Poor - THese were the people who didn't deserve poor relief, becuase they were poor due to their own immoral acts. E.G. Prostitutes and alcoholics.