The English Poor Law, 1531–1782

A concise synthesis of past work on a unique and important system of social welfare.

Paul Slack (Author)

9780521557856, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 28 September 1995

88 pages, 1 table
21.6 x 13.8 x 0.7 cm, 0.121 kg

"...this is an excellent book, especially for young scholars wishing to research the Old Poor Law. It provides a brief, yet thorough historical account, helpful bibliographic tools, and even a checklist of relevant statutes." David McCarter, Sixteenth Century Journal

The poor law had a profound impact on English society between the sixteenth and the eighteenth centuries. Designed to reform the poor as much as to relieve poverty, it also shaped institutions of government and determined people's expectations and assumptions about social welfare. Over the last few decades there has been a good deal of detailed research examining how the law was implemented in different regions, its influence on social attitudes and social realities, and its significance as a major burden on local government and a source of political and social concern. The English Poor Law, 1531–1782 provides a concise synthesis of past work, explaining the origins of this unique system of welfare, and showing how the poor law played a central role in English social and political development from the Reformation to the Industrial Revolution.

Introduction
1. Defining strategies
2. Implementing the law
3. The failure of reform
4. The law in context
Appendix: statutes relating to the poor
Notes
Select Bibliography
Additional bibliographical note
Index.

Subject Areas: Social & cultural history [HBTB]