The State of the Poor
Or, An History of the Labouring Classes in England, from the Conquest to the Present Period

Published in 1797, this three-volume work describes poverty in England and the various measures introduced to deal with it.

Frederick Morton Eden (Author)

9781108036870, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 3 November 2011

678 pages
29.7 x 21 x 3.5 cm, 1.6 kg

Sir Frederick Morton Eden (1766–1809) was an English writer and a pioneer social researcher. Eden studied at Christ Church, Oxford, and subsequently worked in banking and insurance, inheriting a baronetcy from his father, who had been the governor of the American province of Maryland, in 1784. Arguing that poverty could not be tackled without knowing what it actually meant to be poor, this innovative three-volume work is an attempt to define what poverty meant in concrete terms. It is packed with data from across England, divided by county, and covering factors such as food prices, wages, diet and mortality rates. In Volume 1, Eden looks at the history of poverty, the lifestyles of the poor and the various measures introduced to tackle the problem at different periods. It also describes the methods used to collect the data that appear throughout the three volumes.

Preface
Book I. Of the Poor, from the Conquest to the Present Period: 1. Of the poor, from the Conquest to the Reformation
2. Of the poor, from the Reformation to the Revolution
3. Of the poor, from the Revolution to the present period
Book II. Of National Establishments for the Maintenance of the Poor: Of the English Poor System: Proposed Amendments: Of the Diet, Dress, Fuel, and Habitation of the Labouring Classes in Great Britain: And of Friendly Societies: 1. Of national establishments for the maintenance of the poor, of the English poor law, and of Mr. Pitt's proposed Bill for the better Relief of the Poor
2. Of the diet, dress, fuel, and habitation, of the labouring classes
3. Of friendly societies.

Subject Areas: Social & cultural history [HBTB]