Tudor governments did not really know what to do about the poor, because in many ways they did not understand the causes of poverty. It was widely assumed that many were just lazy and refused to work.

whilst the 1601 Poor Relief Act (Poor Law) outlined the responsibility of the parish to look after its own poor. Also under the Act, parishioners were appointed by JPs to serve as overseers of the ...

Please contact Liverpool University Press for availability about this product The focus of this study is the poor law system, and the people who used it. Introduced in 1838, the Irish poor law ...