How did Elizabeth deal with the problems of poor people and beggars?

At this time there was no unemployment pay or sickness benefit at the time. There were also no pensions for old people. If people didn’t work they would starve so they would have to do one or the other. Most people could not find work so they took to the streets. They then became tramps and begged for food. The Tudors named these people vagabonds.  During the 16^th century the situation got worse. Henry VIII had closed the monistries, which had helped to look after to poor!

Many landowners stopped growing crops altogether. There was a immense demand for wool, so they took up sheep-farming instead.

This meant fewer jobs! Some labours had to leave their manors and look for work elsewhere.

Prices were going up faster than wages and people discovered that their pay did not buy as much as it used to. So the poor were getting poorer.

 

There were so many of them that there was different special names for vagabonds that made their living in a different way. 

    Angler – They spend their days begging and loafing round the streets of towns carrying a long wooden stick which was then used to hook clothes off of peoples washing lines.

          Clapperdudgeon-  These people rip their skin off and tie old dirty rags to their wounds to make the bleeding visable.

 

Stow you!- Shut up!

Cuffin-fellow

Bung-purse

Boozing ken-alehouse

Lib-sleep

Cony-victim

Couch a hogs head- lie down to sleep

Flick-thief

Lifts-stolen goods

Draw-pick pocket

Ken-house

Yarru-milk

Duds-clothes