The 1552 Act for the Provision and Relief of the Poor was a statute passed by the

Parliament of England The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised t ...

during the reign of King

Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first E ...

. It is a part of the

Tudor Poor Laws The Tudor Poor Laws were the laws regarding poor relief in the Kingdom of England around the time of the Tudor period (1485–1603). The Tudor Poor Laws ended with the passing of the Elizabethan Poor Law in 1601, two years before the end of th ...

and reaffirms previous poor laws enacted in 1536,

1547 Year 1547 ( MDXLVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January 8 – The first Lithuanian-language book, a ''Catechism'' (, Simple Words of ...

, and 1549 which focused primarily on the punishment of vagabonds. The Poor Act of 1552 designated a new position, "collector of alms," in each

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

. Local authorities and residents elected two alms collectors to request, record, and distribute charitable donations for poor relief. It further provided that each parish would keep a register of all its “impotent, aged, and needy persons” and the aid they received. Parish authorities were directed to “gently exhort” any person that could contribute but would not, referring them to the Bishop of the Diocese if they continued to refuse. Punishment for neglecting poor relief obligations was adopted in 1563 and reliance on charity was replaced by a system of taxation in

1597 Events January–June * January 24 – Battle of Turnhout: Maurice of Nassau defeats a Spanish force under Jean de Rie of Varas, in the Netherlands. * February – Bali is discovered, by Dutch explorer Cornelis Houtman. * February 5 � ...

. Under the assumption that all poor would be cared for, begging openly was now forbidden. Licensed begging would be reinstated by the Marian Parliament of 1555 with the requirement that legal beggars wear badges.

Social context

During the

Tudor period The Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603 in History of England, England and Wales and includes the Elizabethan period during the reign of Elizabeth I until 1603. The Tudor period coincides with the dynasty of the House of Tudor in Englan ...

, cultural perceptions began to shift away from the medieval theological belief that poverty was a virtue. The philosophical influence of

Renaissance humanism Renaissance humanism was a revival in the study of classical antiquity, at first in Italy and then spreading across Western Europe in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. During the period, the term ''humanist'' ( it, umanista) referred to teache ...

and the emergence of a

Protestant work ethic The Protestant work ethic, also known as the Calvinist work ethic or the Puritan work ethic, is a work ethic concept in theology, sociology, economics and history which emphasizes that diligence, discipline, and frugality are a result of a person ...

and

rogue literature Rogue literature is a literary genre that tells stories from the world of thieves and other criminals that was popular in England in the 16th and 17th centuries. The stories were mostly in a confessional form and full of vivid descriptions. Rogue ...

contributed to views encouraging industriousness and the stewardship of wealth and vilifying idleness, begging, and vagrancy. As poverty rates and the costs of poor relief rose, communities attempted to define and limit who qualified for aid, restricting support by locality and moral conduct.

Economic context

The rise of poverty rates during the Tudor period can be attributed to a confluence of factors. Rebellions in 1549 hampered harvest efforts and crop shortages in the following years contributed to price inflation. A series of coin debasements between 1544-1551 undermined economic confidence. Rapid population growth and the effects of Tudor enclosure policies led to the supply of labor exceeding demand and agricultural and industrial wages falling sharply. High birth-rates also meant a large percentage of the population were too young to contribute economically. Additionally, the dissolution of the monasteries removed all Catholic Church-operated charities, religious guilds, and lay fraternities that provided formal and informal aid and confiscated parish lands and livestock which had also been used to provide poor relief. The process of replacing these institutions was often slow and uneven.; McIntosh 2005; Beier 1983, p. 19-23

References

{{Poor Law English Poor Laws Tudor England 1552 in law 1552 in England