What did the Poor Law 1601 do?
The Poor Law 1601 sought to consolidate all previous legislative provisions for the relief of ‘the poor’. The Poor Law made it compulsory for parishes to levy a ‘poor rate’ to fund financial support (‘public assistance’) for those who could not work.
What was the workhouse Act of 1723?
7) also known as the General Act or Knatchbull’s Act was poor relief legislation passed by the British government by Sir Edward Knatchbull in 1723. The “workhouse test” was that a person who wanted to receive poor relief had to enter a workhouse and undertake a set amount of work.
What was the workhouse test 1834?
The workhouse test was a condition of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834. It stated that anyone who wanted to get poor relief must enter a workhouse. The “test” itself was, in essence, were the people who wanted relief desperate enough to enter the workhouse, despite the conditions.
What happened in the workhouses?
The workhouse was home to 158 inhabitants – men, women and children – who were split up and forbidden from meeting. Those judged too infirm to work were called the “blameless” and received better treatment but the rest were forced into tedious, repetitive work such as rock breaking or rope picking.
What was the major impact of the Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601?
The poor laws gave the local government the power to raise taxes as needed and use the funds to build and maintain almshouses; to provide indoor relief (i.e., cash or sustenance) for the aged, handicapped and other worthy poor; and the tools and materials required to put the unemployed to work.
Why was the Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601 significant?
A Poor Law was introduced in 1601 to address the issue. The Elizabethan Poor Law provided for Indoor Relief and Outdoor Relief. The Poor Law put into legislation the right of local Justices of the Peace to levy tax for the relief and assistance of the Poor.
What were the workhouses in England?
In Britain, a workhouse (Welsh: tloty) was a total institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. Some Poor Law authorities hoped to run workhouses at a profit by utilising the free labour of their inmates.
When did workhouses start in UK?
The 1834 Law therefore formally established the Victorian workhouse system which has become so synonymous with the era. This system contributed to the splitting up of families, with people forced to sell what little belongings they had and hoping they could see themselves through this rigorous system.
What were the poor laws in 1834?
The new Poor Law ensured that the poor were housed in workhouses, clothed and fed. Children who entered the workhouse would receive some schooling. In return for this care, all workhouse paupers would have to work for several hours each day.
What was the purpose of the workhouse in 1601?
To begin with, a workhouse was a place where those unable to support themselves could get accommodation and employment. Indeed, the Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601 had made it the duty of every parish to maintain its poor. There were other laws prior to this date which were more about punishment rather than anything else.
Where did the idea of the workhouse come from?
The exact origins of the workhouse however have a much longer history. They can be traced back to the Poor Law Act of 1388. In the aftermath of the Black Death, labour shortages were a major problem.
What did the Workhouse Test Act of 1723 do?
Some of the acts included the 1723 Workhouses Test Act which helped to spur the growth of the system. In essence, the act would oblige anyone looking to receive poor relief to enter the workhouse and proceed to work for a set amount of time, regularly, for no pay, in a system called indoor relief.
Why was there a workhouse in Cambridge in 1388?
It was not until the National Assistance Act 1948 that the last vestiges of the Poor Law disappeared, and with them the workhouses. The Statute of Cambridge 1388 was an attempt to address the labour shortage caused by the Black Death, a devastating pandemic that killed about one-third of England’s population.