Tudor attitudes to poverty and the Elizabethan Poor Law (1601)

History

The problem of poverty in Tudor England

Growing population in Elizabethan England

Social life for the poor in Tudor England

The impact of the Elizabethan Poor Law

Was there a ‘Golden Age’ for the poor in Elizabethan England?

In this unit, pupils studied the problem of poverty in the 16th century alongside attitudes and responses to this. In 'Post-war Britain: for whom did the United Kingdom become a ‘New Jerusalem'?', pupils will see how the idea of governmental responsibility for people's welfare became a critical aspect of attitudes towards poverty in the 20th century and led to very different types of responses.

In 'Local history: how similar were medieval lives in Norwich?', pupils studied inequalities in medieval society and the lives of the poor. In this unit, pupils will extend their understanding of the lives of the poor by considering different aspects of their lives, including the ways in which they were treated by others, in the early modern period.

In this unit, pupils assess the extent to which Elizabethan England represented a 'Golden Age' for the poor. They examine the causes of poverty in this period and learn about contemporary responses to this growing problem before evaluating whether things improved for this group.

Life in Tudor England: was there a 'Golden Age' for the poor?

Subjects which particular individuals may be sensitive to, eg, adoption, migration, bereavement or death, divorce, poverty, deprivation.

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Depiction or discussion of distress or humiliation e.g. bullying.

Depiction or discussion of peer pressure or bullying

helpless or powerless or unable to take effective action

someone who wanders from place to place without a home or a job

A {{ }} is a small administrative district that has its own church and priest.

In what ways had the monasteries previously helped poor people in England? 

put in the stocks for three days and back to their parish of birth

branded for the first offence and death for the second offence

Match the monarch with the punishment they imposed for vagabonds. 


Match the the three categories of poor created under 1601 Elizabethan Poor Law with their meaning. 

Which of the following acts introduced by Elizabeth I punished beggars by having a hole burnt through their ear the first time they were caught and death by hanging for a second offence?

Which of the following is an example of a blood sport?

Which sport was banned by Henry VIII for being too violent?

There were not many sheep and so the lords could not profit from selling wool.

Sheep farming resulted in fewer jobs for the poor.

Population growth meant that more rural people were competing for fewer jobs.

Why was there so much rural poverty in Elizabethan England? 

Why did many people leave the local area without the local lord’s permission even though it was illegal?

due to the opportunites such as sport and theatre

because the birth rate was higher than the death rate

due to the huge numbers of rural poor making their way to the city

Why did London become the fastest growing city in Elizabethan England? 

By how much did the price of grain increase between 1500-1650? 

Tudor attitudes to poverty and the Elizabethan Poor Law (1601)

Lesson outcome

Content guidance