Individuals (3.5)

Prevailing Orthodoxy - beliefs or practices that are commonly held

Key Beliefs:

• Poverty was necessary and even desirable in order for people to strive to improve
• Indigence, the inability of individuals to provide for themselves and their families was the fault of the poor themselves
• Led to workhouse test and principle of less eligibility

• Reinforced and developed this prevailing orthodoxy
• Was a strong supporter of the co-operative movement
• Wrote articles on Parliamentory reform - 1850s became disappointed by lack of progress made by Parliamentory reform 
• Believed Parliamentory reform was not enough to lift people out of poverty
• Wrote book 'Self-help' published in 1859 - believed self-help was the answer and that it was possible to accumulate wealth without having to show concern for your neighbours because self-help was also available to them
• No need to pay for poor rates anymore
• Only seriously destitute needed help

• Investigative journalist
• In 1849 published a book called 'London Labour and the London Poor' - visited the homes and workplaces of the poor and wrote about his experiences
• Divided 'labouring poor' into 3 categories
• 'Those who will work' - the able bodied poor: skilled artisans, manual workers and the labourers
• 'Those who cannot work' - Unemployed, mill workers, the ill and the elderly
• 'Those who will not work' - 40k-100k beggars and vagrants

• Had massive impact on Victorian attitudes to the poor, poverty and welfare
• Emphasised 2 points: the poor were people with hopes, and the workhouse system was a mindless, cruel insitution that dehumanised clients