Why Were the Old Poor Laws Reformed Early 1830s?

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Why was the Old Poor Law reformed in the early 1830s? PX1016 Britain 1707-1939 0906683 Why was the Old Poor Law reformed in the early 1830s? The Poor Laws dominated British Social Policy, the first being passed in 1598 and continuing until 1948. The 1601 Elizabethan Poor Laws differed vastly from the Poor Law Commission 1934 mainly due to the effects of the industrial revolution, which ultimately increased the poor rates. ‘The Poor Laws lasted, in one form or another, for 350 years, and accounts of British social policy tend to be dominated by the role of the government.’ A social policy is a strand of public policy primarily dealing with social issues or human welfare such as child benefits. In this essay I am going to investigate why the Old Poor Laws were reformed in 1834, primarily focusing on the impact of the industrial revolution which caused a massive growth in towns and thus population, ultimately increasing poor rates. Also, many other factors helped ensure reform such as policies were becoming unpopular with the public such as those to do with workhouses; the turn of the century saw many different views developing towards the Poor Law thus calling for reform and also influential social thinkers, such as Jeremy Bentham, Malthus and Ricardo all of which formed the basic doctrines of the Poor Law of 1834. Provisions were initially made for the punishment of persistent beggars and the relief of the impotent poor in the 1572 Elizabethan Act. It wasn’t until 1601 whereby the Elizabethan Poor Law became an Act in England and Wales, providing for: ‘a compulsory poor rate, the creation of overseers of relief and provision for setting the poor on work.’ The Poor Laws were inconsistent between the Parishes, however, at this time, due to no real mechanism being present to enforce the Laws. The 1662 Poor relief Act introduced the Laws on settlement
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