Herefordshire Through Time
Herefordshire Through Time
During the 15th and 16th centuries the number of jobs available to people had not kept pace with the growth of the population. Bad weather had led to harvest failures which in turn had led to food shortages and high prices. The growth in sheep farming brought about an increase in unemployment for rural labourers. Whilst agricultural enclosures did not have a great effect in Herefordshire until the 17th century (and parliamentary enclosures until the 19th century), Herefordshire did not have a thriving handicraft industry, nor were there mineral or mining industries. Bad roads and transportation made it difficult for people to sell goods outside the county at competitive prices. As a result there were many very poor people.
Tudor people believed there were three types of poor people:
Sometimes attitudes change more slowly than economic reality. Some people did not recognise that there were not enough jobs for everyone or accept that an increasing number of people would need help.
Parishes were legally bound to look after their own poor people. However, many poor people left their parishes to look for work. Some of these unemployed people, called vagrants, joined others and moved around in groups. Town and village authorities were frightened of them, afraid they would intimidate citizens, cause trouble or start riots. Even though some were looking for work, others were more interested in stealing or begging for a living. Sometimes people were so desperate that crime was their only means of surviving.
Tudor society was very structured, much the same as medieval society had been. It was believed that every person ought to be under the control of someone else, such as parents, landlords, employers, a guild, the civic authorities, and the church. Vagrants did not fit into this pattern. They were not controlled by anyone and were therefore considered dangerous. To force vagrants back under control they were whipped and sent back to their parish of birth or last residence. Even these harsh measures, however, did not stop people from moving about or heading for the nearest town.
The number of poor people had become so large that special laws were introduced to deal with this problem. These were:
1495: Deserving poor may beg in their own parish.
1531: Deserving poor need a license from their Justice of the Peace to beg in their own parish.
1536: People are told to give money to church officials who will give to the most deserving.
1547: The parish must find homeless deserving poor a place to live; a collection for the poor is taken after church on Sunday, no-one has to give.
1552: Licensed beggars may go from door to door in their own parish but they must not sit outdoors and beg.
1563: If people do not give money to the Sunday collection for the poor, they have to explain their reason to their Justice of the Peace. If they don't have a good reason, they can be locked up. Only disabled people with a license are allowed to go from door to door begging. Others have to rely on alms from the parish.
1597: Overseers of the poor are appointed to look after the poor. The parish officials set a poor rate. If someone does not pay, the overseers can take their possessions to the value of the poor rate and sell them to get the money.
1495: Vagrants to be punished in the stocks for three days.
1531: Vagrants to be whipped.
1536: Vagrants to be made to work on jobs like road repairs.
1547: Vagrants could be forced to work as slaves (this law was cancelled in 1549 because it was considered too harsh).
1572: Vagrants over the age of 14 were to be whipped and have a hole made in their right ear the first time they were caught. Caught again, they could be put in prison or even hanged.
1576: Houses of Correction (also called Bridewells) were set up where vagrants were forced to live and work.
1597: Vagrants whipped and sent back to county where they had last lived. Vagrants who kept getting caught were sent overseas to work in the colonies.
[Original author: Toria Forsyth-Moser, 2003]