Poor Relief in England, 1350–1600

This ground-breaking work traces developments in poor relief from the mid-fourteenth century to the Poor Laws of 1598 and 1601.

Marjorie Keniston McIntosh (Author)

9781107015081, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 15 December 2011

368 pages, 3 b/w illus. 3 tables
23.1 x 15.5 x 2.3 cm, 0.66 kg

'As she does so often, Marjorie McIntosh's work helpfully crosses the medieval-early modern divide, allowing her to consider the developments of the late medieval and early Reformation period as a single entity … The book is the culmination of three decades of work in over seventy archives as well as printed sources, and both time span and archives are reflected in this study.' Journal of British Studies

Between the mid-fourteenth century and the Poor Laws of 1598 and 1601, English poor relief moved toward a more coherent and comprehensive network of support. Marjorie McIntosh's study, the first to trace developments across that time span, focuses on three types of assistance: licensed begging and the solicitation of charitable alms; hospitals and almshouses for the bedridden and elderly; and the aid given by parishes. It explores changing conceptions of poverty and charity and altered roles for the church, state and private organizations in the provision of relief. The study highlights the creativity of local people in responding to poverty, cooperation between national levels of government, the problems of fraud and negligence, and mounting concern with proper supervision and accounting. This ground-breaking work challenges existing accounts of the Poor Laws, showing that they addressed problems with forms of aid already in use rather than creating a new system of relief.

1. Introduction
Part I. Late Medieval and Early Tudor Patterns: 2. Seeking alms
3. Late medieval hospitals and almshouses
4. Aid given through and by the parish
Part II. Profound Change during the Early Reformation Period: 5. New ideas and new policies, c.1530–53
Part III. Intensified Problems and Altered Approaches in the Later Sixteenth Century: 6. The burgeoning of begging, collection, and fraud
7. The changing nature of almshouses and hospitals
8. Support for the parish poor
Part IV. Responding to the Problems: 9. The Poor Laws of 1598 and 1601
10. Conclusion
Appendices.

Subject Areas: Economic history [KCZ], Social & cultural history [HBTB], Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700 [HBLH], British & Irish history [HBJD1]