Pauper Palaces
Why did people disagree about the New Poor Law?
Glossary
Poverty
Outdoor Relief
Not earning enough for food, clothing and housing.
Poor people were given relief (from poverty) while they still lived in
their own homes.
Workhouse
A place where poor people were given food and shelter in return for
work.
Master and Matron The people in charge of a workhouse, often husband and wife.
Board of Guardians Local people elected to supervise the running of a workhouse.
Less eligibility
Conditions inside a Workhouse had to be worse than conditions for
the lowest paid labourer outside.
Living wage
When workers are paid a wage that is sufficient to live in.
Poor Rate
Money collected from local property owners to support the poor.
Monotonous
Dull and boring.
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Pauper Palaces
Why did people disagree about the New Poor Law?
Step One – The New Poor Law
Critic
I am against the New Poor Law because it has ended outdoor relief for poor
people. This helped them because they could get money for short periods
when they might be unemployed and they could still live in their own homes.
There has been a lot of unemployment because of the growth of factories and
changes to farming. Factory workers would not have any pay if there was no
work at the factory. Farm labourers are being put out of work by machinery.
On top of this the cost of bread is going up, so many poor people need help to
feed their families.
The New Poor Law says that the only way that the poor can get help is by
going into a Workhouse. This has got to be a more expensive way of helping
them!
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Pauper Palaces
Why did people disagree about the New Poor Law?
Step One – The New Poor Law
Supporter
I am in favour of the New Poor Law because it will save money and
encourage the poor to work harder.
The new law will save money because the Workhouse will be “less eligible”.
This means that the poor will be less likely to choose to go there, rather than
to take the lowest paid job and to live at home. To do this, families will be
broken up, inmates will have to wear a uniform and they will be put to work.
The food they eat will be the cheapest and most basic and they will have their
lives organised for them.
Less eligibility means that the Workhouse will be worse than conditions for the
lowest paid labourer outside its walls. This will stop those lazy idlers from
scrounging money by asking for poor relief.
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Pauper Palaces
Why did people disagree about the New Poor Law?
Step One – The New Poor Law
Critic
By ending outdoor relief the poor will be unfairly punished for their poverty.
The real causes of their poverty is not laziness, but low wages, high food
prices and under-employment.
If the poor were paid a living-wage then they would not have to ask for help.
No matter how hard a man works he still never earns enough to support his
family. This has been made worse by the very high prices of bread.
Sometimes the poor do not have regular work. When there is no work, factory
workers are laid-off, but they will not be paid. Farm labourers have been put
out of work by the new threshing machines.
The poor cannot do anything about their low wages or their unemployment.
The New Poor Law punishes them for their poverty. This can’t be right.
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Pauper Palaces
Why did people disagree about the New Poor Law?
Step One – The New Poor Law
Supporter
I am in favour of the New Poor Law because it will encourage employers to
pay a living wage and to help workers during periods of unemployment.
The old system of poor relief made up a man’s wages so that he had enough
money to feed his family. This encouraged employers to pay the worker less
than a living-wage. It also meant that employers could lay workers off for short
periods, without having to pay them. It also kept a lot of farm labourers in
areas where there was not enough work for them.
The New Poor Law means that the Poor will get back their self-respect,
because it will force employers will have to pay a living wage and a man will
be able to support his family without having to beg for charity.
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Pauper Palaces
Why did people disagree about the New Poor Law?
Step One – The New Poor Law
Critic
The real causes of poverty are low wages, unemployment and rising food
prices.
Wages are particularly low in farming areas because there are more workers
than jobs. Things have been made worse by the rocketing cost of food. This
has been caused by a shortage caused by war and the population rise.
You can’t solve the problem by treating the poor like criminals. Poverty is not a
crime!
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Pauper Palaces
Why did people disagree about the New Poor Law?
Step One – The New Poor Law
Supporter
The real causes of poverty might be low wages, unemployment and rising
food prices, but the Workhouses will solve the problem.
The poor are not being punished, they are being helped. By being put to work
in the Workhouse they are being given back their self-respect. Less eligibility
means that we will help those who really need it, not the scroungers.
Employers will be forced to pay a living-wage, or all of their workers will end
up in the Workhouse. They will also benefit from harder working employees.
We have solved the problem by treating the scroungers like criminals. We will
give back the honest labourer his self-respect.
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Pauper Palaces
Why did people disagree about the New Poor Law?
Step Two – Regulations
Critic
I think that the Workhouses are too harsh because inmates are forced to wear
a special uniform and that there are a lot of rules that are designed to
humiliate them. Paupers are given only bread and potatoes for two days for …
(use extreme examples from the less serious offences)
One of the punishments is to lock the inmates up for a day. An inmate can be
locked up for … (use extreme examples from the most serious offences)
These rules are far too strict. Paupers should not be punished for their
poverty.
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Pauper Palaces
Why did people disagree about the New Poor Law?
Step Two – Regulations
Critic
I think that the Workhouses are too harsh because inmates are forced to wear
a special uniform and that there are a lot of rules that are designed to
humiliate them. Paupers are given only bread and potatoes for two days for
making a noise during silence, using bad language, pretending to be sick,
misbehaving during church and returning late after an outside visit.
One of the punishments is to lock the inmates up for a day. An inmate can be
locked up for causing a disturbance during prayers or disobeying the master
or matron.
These rules are far too strict. Paupers should not be punished for their
poverty.
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Pauper Palaces
Why did people disagree about the New Poor Law?
Step Two – Regulations
Supporter
I think that the Workhouses are doing a very good job of treating people
properly and encouraging good behaviour. As soon as a pauper is admitted …
(explain about the medical inspections)
Punishments are used to encourage good behaviour. An inmate can be locked
up for … (use examples of the serious offences)
One of the punishments is to lock the inmates up for a day. An inmate can be
locked up for … (use examples of the most serious offences)
.
These rules have to be strict. Paupers should not be taught how to be
responsible.
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History Department
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Pauper Palaces
Why did people disagree about the New Poor Law?
Step Two – Regulations
Supporter
I think that the Workhouses are doing a very good job of treating people
properly and encouraging good behaviour. As soon as a pauper is admitted …
Punishments are used to encourage good behaviour. An inmate can be locked
up for using bad language, not keeping clean, entering the wrong part of the
Workhouse, refusing to work and disobeying an officer of the workhouse.
One of the punishments is to lock the inmates up for a day. An inmate can be
locked up for insulting the master or matron, disobeying the master or matron,
damaging workhouse property and getting drunk.
These rules have to be strict. Paupers should not be taught how to be
responsible.
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Pauper Palaces
Why did people disagree about the New Poor Law?
Step Three – Reality: Gressenhall Workhouse
Critic
I think that the Workhouses are too harsh because inmates were treated
badly. They had very long hours of work and very little free time, they were
ounished harshly for minor offences, were fed on a monotonous and basic
diet and were mistreated by the employees of the workhouse. For example, in
Gressenhall Workhouse …
(use some examples of mistreatment from pages 53 and 54)
These rules are far too strict. Paupers should not be punished for their
poverty.
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Pauper Palaces
Why did people disagree about the New Poor Law?
Step Three – Reality: Gressenhall Workhouse
Critic
I think that the Workhouses are too harsh because inmates were treated
badly. They had very long hours of work and very little free time, they were
punished harshly for minor offences, were fed on a monotonous and basic
diet and were mistreated by the employees of the workhouse. For example, in
Gressenhall Workhouse paupers rose at 5:45am and went to bed at 8pm.
During this time they were expected to work for ten hours. Their food
consisted of bread, gruel for breakfast; suet pudding, bread and cheese for
dinner and bread and cheese for supper. Once a week they had meat and on
three occasions they had vegetables. It is not surprising that John and Anne
Craske were caught stealing bread! For this they were locked up for twenty
four hours and fed on bread and water for the rest of the week.
Thomas Butcher, the porter, had to be dismissed because There were
complaints that he had sworn at the inmates.
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Pauper Palaces
Why did people disagree about the New Poor Law?
Step Three – Reality: Gressenhall Workhouse
Supporter
I think that the Workhouses treated people properly and encouraged good
behaviour. For example, in Gressenhall Workhouse …
(use some examples of proper treatment from pages 53 and 54)
The rules are far fair. Paupers are being looked after and helped to find work.
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Pauper Palaces
Why did people disagree about the New Poor Law?
Step Three – Reality: Gressenhall Workhouse
Supporter
I think that the Workhouses treated people properly and encouraged good
behaviour. For example, in Gressenhall Workhouse the paupers are taught
the discipline of early rising and retiring to bed and the virtues of hard work.
Theft is discouraged by firm, yet fair punishment. The paupers receive an
adequate diet. The dismissal of Thomas Butcher shows that their complaints
are acted upon. The excellent work of Mr and Mrs Pinson shows successful a
well run workhouse can be. During their seven years as master and matron,
they reduced expenditure, whilst showing great kindness to the inmates and
finding jobs for over a hundred orphan children. In the workhouse school and
excellent education was provided for over eighty boys, for the cost of a single
schoolmaster.
The rules are far fair. Paupers are being looked after and helped to find work.
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Why did people disagree about the New Poor Law?
Step Four – Reactions
Supporter
The new workhouses have improved the morals of the poor. The public
houses and beer shops are much quieter and there is not so much
drunkenness.
The poor rates have been greatly reduced and the old and sick are still cared
for.
The New Poor Law has saved huge sums of public money.
People who could not be made to work have become good labourers.
People are more willing to look for work than they were in 1834.
The workhouse is held in great dread.
The poor would rather die than go into the workhouse.
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Why did people disagree about the New Poor Law?
Step Four – Reactions
Critic
Parents and children are dying in the workhouse without seeing each other.
The separation of a man and wife are not what the good Lord intended.
The New Poor Law treats poverty as a crime.
The New Poor Law is cruel. It should be called the starvation law.
Freedom, food and clothing are the right of every Englishman.
In the north of England the New Poor Law is causing great distress. The mill
workers are rioting and many workhouses have yet to be built.
The workhouse is held in great dread.
The poor would rather die than go into the workhouse.
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