Changing Official Attitudes to Poverty and Vagrancy

Changing Official Attitudes to Poverty and Vagrancy

Initial Official Responses (1485-1547)

  • Vagabonds Act 1494: This Act was enacted under Henry VII, providing for corporal punishment, such as whipping, for those convicted of vagrancy. This suggests an initial punitive approach to vagrancy.
  • Laws against Enclosure: In response to the increase in poverty stemming from the enclosure movement, laws were introduced to prevent the enclosure of common grazing lands. These were not entirely successful, due to poor enforcement.

Shift in Attitudes (1547-1597)

  • Vagabonds Act 1547: More brutal than its predecessor, this act introduced slavery for able-bodied vagabonds refusing to work, suggesting a hardening of attitudes under Edward VI.
  • Poor Act 1552 and 1563: These acts marked a shift from punishment to provision for the poor, with local parishes tasked with maintaining a list of their poor and levying local rates to provide relief.
  • Rogues and Vagabonds Act 1572: Introduced under Elizabeth I, this act combined elements of previous acts, providing for both punishment for those refusing to work and relief for the ‘deserving’ poor.

Later Legislation and Development (1597-1603)

  • Elizabethan Poor Law 1597-98: These acts marked the start of a more organised approach to poverty. It was established that two Overseers of the Poor were to be appointed for each parish, and funds were allocated for relief of the poor, marking the beginning of a more bureaucratic approach to poverty.
  • The Act for the Relief of the Poor 1601: This Act consolidated earlier legislation and remained in force until 1834. It made provision for poor children, the elderly, and the sick, thus signifying a more sympathetic and multifaceted approach to addressing the problem of poverty and vagrancy.

This timeline indicates changing attitudes towards poverty and vagrancy, from punitive to more provision-centred responses. However, critics argue that these changes were driven more by social fear and a desire for social order rather than genuine sympathy for the poor.