POOR LAW AMENDMENT ACT 1834 (Often associated with Benthamite ideals). Under the Old Poor Law, you paid a ‘poor rate’ that provided for paupers. Local magistrates distributed it = remnants of a society based on a sense of duty to your local community. This is inadequate to deal with Urbanisation and Rural overproduction. Collapse of the old system can be seen in the adoption of the Speenhamland System in the 1790s provides subsistence. But the problems with both these systems:
The Benthamites have long criticised this system: it is irrational, inefficient and it fails to discourage overpopulation. Their essential criticism is it contributes to poverty: the Poor Law makes people poor!
1832Whigs set up commission to investigate PL: this commission consists mostly of Benthamites. This commission is dominated by
What the Benthamites wanted to do:
- Rationalise the admin and philosophy behind the poor law
- Discourage pauperism. They did this in two ways:
1)By saying that those who receive the poor rate should do so at a level below the wages of the worst-paid worker (thus giving an incentive to work) 2)By establishing workhouses with deliberately poor conditions. They advocated separate workhouses for men, women and children. These workhouses are supervised centrally from Somerset House (London)
Workhouses were very unpopular seen as poor law “Bastilles”.
Successes:Poor rates go down:
Only prosperity can end overpopulation in the countryside. Prosperity provides employment in towns. Prosperity comes in the 1850s. The most serious objections to the poor law come from the North (industrial towns). They argued that they were being betrayed by the government they helped to elect because:
- Unemployment was cyclical (=happens in seasons), as opposed to permanent
- The problem is overpopulation
- The previous poor law had filled the gaps
- The workhouse was only a solution to the situation in the South
The Benthamite influence can be seen in the NPL, but also the ‘reform to preserve’ motives of the Whigs. DUNKLEY (a historian!) said that the Whigs were concerned with the 1830s swing riots, and hence sought rural stability. They presume that there is a link between pauperism & disorder: the NPL is the answer. Other influences on reform (apart from Benthamism) Evangelicalism Humanitarianism Evangelicalism. In the late C18. E’s want end to C18 licentiousness, and a reformation of manners. Associated with William Wilberforce and Clapham Bell. They are wealthy and well-connected, especially within the Whigs. The younger Whigs were enthusiastic (eg: Milner). The older Whigs accept it as a force for social stability (as it would make the poor accept their place in society). E’ism led to The Abolition of Slavery in Empire in 1833. Humanitarianism. Humanitarianists are interested in factory reform: improving conditions for factory workers. Dominated by Northern Tory MPs, as the idea comes from the paternalistic tradition of the Tories (people with cash look after those with none). Eg: Lord Ashley, Michael Sadler, Richard Oastler. These were members of the popular 10 hour movement (to standardise working hours). They are the exact opposites of Benthamites who didn’t like restrictive legislation and government interference, and Whig industrial interests. Influences on Reform:
Legal reform was proposed by Lord Chancellor Brougham (Benthamite). He had a rationalisation of the legal system (a continuation of Peel’s work) by reducing the number of offences punishable by death. He also increases the number of courts, founding criminal/bankruptcy courts. RTP because it is strengthening the system. Municipal Corporations Act 1835. The old corporations were associated with corruption, venality and nepotism. The act replaced them with elected councils with ratepayer franchises and 3-year residency (you could vote for them if you were a ratepayer and had lived ‘there’ for 3 years). The act also meant that their accounts were audited. This act marks the gradual replacement of the aristocracy with the upper/middle classes in government. Essentially RTP as it is a slight change in the old system to keep the m/c happy, and thus reduce the chance of total change. How Benthamite? it was done with Benthamite procedures: commission in 1833. But there were also political motives behind the act: it removes the Tories from their dominant positions in corporations. Factory Act 1833 U13 can only work 8hours, and U9 can’t be employed. An inspection system was set up, and there was 2 hours a day of compulsory education for employed children. This was not what the 10 hour movement wanted. The Humanitarians had wanted Saddler’s Bill which advocated 10 hours max for U18 (this was a wedge for 10 hours for all). But Saddler lost his seat in 1832. The Bill is promoted by Ashley and is rejected by 1 vote. Whigs set up a commission, staffed mostly by Benthamites (against restrictive legislation), which means the Bill is restricted to child labour. Educational Reform The existing system is inefficient and not useful. It is run by the Church and focuses heavily on religion. Benthamites attempt to promote national secular education. These attempts fail due to large Anglican opposition. Bills had been introduced to Brougham and Roebuck in the 1820s. Brougham got £20,000 grant for Anglican education societies. In 1839, Roebuck fails to get 1) Equal grants (ie: grants for other Soc., not just Anglican) 2) Central supervision 3) Teacher training He fails because Anglican opposition argued that all education should have a religious basis. |
