Paper 3 Depth 2 Flashcards
What were problems before the Poor Law Amendment Act?
- ideology of the commission- Chadwick was a follower of Jeremy Bentham so believed the Poor Law gave too high taxes which made people unhappy
- collection of data- devised questionnaires but only 10% were answered as it wasn’t compulsory, they got too much info which was difficult to analyse
- findings- they were manipulated because there was too much data to properly analyse it, modern findings show Commissioners did this
What did the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act recommend?
- distinction between deserving and underserving poor
- every union of parishes should have a workhouse, end of outdoor relief
- central authority to run the Poor Law- the commission was to be responsible, they weren’t accountable to government
- deterrent workhouses and principle of less eligibility- workhouses were made so bad that they were a last resort and not as many people would go
How was principle of less eligibility/Poor Law amendment act reflected in structure of workhouses?
- Y shaped and cruciform
- designed to keep men, women and children apart
- segregation of paupers
- made to deter people from it
How was principle of less eligibility/Poor Law amendment act reflected in rules and regulations of workhouses?
- families were split up- assumed paupers had given up responsibility
- workhouse school for children
- poor-fitting uniform
- no personal possessions allowed and privacy invaded
- daily routine made as mundane as possible
How was principle of less eligibility/Poor Law amendment act reflected in work in the workhouse?
- mundane labour
- had to not diminish employment outside the workhouse
- commissioners of the workhouse said work done could not pay more than it cost to maintain paupers- corrupt
How was principle of less eligibility/Poor Law amendment act reflected in food of workhouses?
- just enough to sustain life
- made to be as boring of a diet as possible
- eaten in silence until 1842
- poorly prepared and carelessly cooked
- some workhouses didn’t allow cutlery
What was experience like for elderly/children/single women/the mentally ill in the workhouse?
elderly- old men more prominent than old women as old women were used in domestic service
children- made up 25-40% of all admissions, workhouse schools, apprenticed at age 9, couldn’t be held responsible for their own poverty
single women- couldn’t claim outdoor relief so made up significant proportion of the workhouse
mentally ill- grew from 1 per 100 to 1 per 8
How was principle of less eligibility/Poor Law amendment act reflected in workhouse staff?
- master was responsible for discipline and economy
- matron was responsible for female paupers and domestic side
e. g Georgex Catch moved from workhouse to workhouse and brought terror wherever he went
How was principle of less eligibility/Poor Law amendment act reflected in discipline of workhouses?
- frequent outbreaks of bullying and blackmail
- complicated system of rewards and punishments
- staff would abuse their power
- paupers put into punishment cells
- 1871 act limited the number of times paupers could leave a workhouse
Why was there opposition to the Poor Law?
- hatred for conditions, nicknamed Bastilles (name of a prison in France)
- rumours of extermination camps- Book of Murder wrote about it, 1832 act allowed donation of bodies for science
- fear of the workhouse meant employers could cut wages without workers leaving
- commissioners were resented by politicians for taking away from local authority and parishes
- paternalism was ended, rich people no longer looked after the poor
- evangelical, Conservative MPs believed it was making being poor a crime which went against the Bible
What are some examples of rural and urban opposition?
rural: 1835 riots in Buckinghamshire- limited and sporadic
urban: 10 hour movement- demanded maximum 10hr day, anti-poor law association- 38 committees in Lancashire- had a lot of impact, troops sent in
How effective was Richard Oastler in opposing Poor Law?
- urged workers to go on strikes and sabotage workhouses/machines
- he rejected the Poor Law and believed commissioners were too powerful - provided cheap labour to factories
- spread anti-poor law ideas
How was Richard Oastler’s opposition limited?
- he ended up in a debtors prison (local people bailed him out)
- didn’t really have much impact
How effective was John Fielden in opposing Poor Law?
- was an MP and mill owner in Oldham and voted against the Poor Law amendment bill at every stage- had influence and importance
- when commissioners tried to implement new Poor Law Fielden threatened to close down his mills and refused to pay the poor rate
- Poor Law wasn’t implemented in Todmorden (where his mill was) until 1877, long after his death - long term impact
How was John Fielden’s opposition limited?
- when he closed the mills 3,000 workers were out of a job
- this caused riots against Fielden
