The Vagabonds and Beggars Act 1494 (11 Henry VII c.2) was an Act of Parliament passed during the reign of Henry VII. The Act stated that "vagabonds, idle and suspected persons shall be set in the

stocks Stocks are feet restraining devices that were used as a form of corporal punishment and public humiliation. The use of stocks is seen as early as Ancient Greece, where they are described as being in use in Solon's law code. The law describing ...

for three days and three nights and have none other sustenance but bread and water and then shall be put out of Town. Every beggar suitable to work shall resort to the

Hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to de ...

where he last dwelled, is best known, or was born and there remain upon the pain aforesaid."

Social context

Local government during the early modern period in England (1400s-1700s) was very different from modern government in that it relied on the community to enforce law and order. No police force existed and local government positions were often filled on a voluntary basis. These positions were held by neighbors, friends, employers, and churchwardens; local government was based around the idea of community and working together to establish societal order. The early modern period challenged these social establishments as England experienced a time of inflation and extreme population growth and incurred a widening gap between the wealthy and the poor. These social pressures and changes caused a disruption in the natural order of society: the idea that every man, woman, and child knew his or her place in English society. This population growth and social change put stress on the established governmental order, changing how the government chose to maintain order throughout the country. Often, the poor became the targets of these newer laws set on re-establishing societal order. Labeled as beggars and vagabonds, laws like the Vagabonds and Beggars Act 1494 aimed to punish the poor of England for simply being poor. Early modern England stressed the idea of societal order and that each individual should know his or her correct place within that structure. The poor challenged the existing structure because they did not necessarily fit into a specific place. The

Poor Law In English and British history, poor relief refers to government and ecclesiastical action to relieve poverty. Over the centuries, various authorities have needed to decide whose poverty deserves relief and also who should bear the cost of hel ...

and settlement laws and Tudor Proclamations that followed reinforced the Vagabonds and Beggars Act 1494, keeping people in their correct societal place.

Rise of crime

London, with its large population and frequent visitors, made staying anonymous an easy task for criminals. A criminal underworld soon formed and developed a security and intelligence system that protected professional criminals from the minimal policing force. Those who made their living through crime formed their own neighborhood that centered its activity around one of the busiest areas of London, St. Paul's Cathedral. The dangers of London prompted the creation of informational material that warned prospective visitors of the typical scams that criminals utilized; such as Gilbert Walker's ''Manifest Detection of Dice Play'' (1552) and Robert Greene's ''A Notable Discovery of Cozenage'' (1592)''.'' Criminal activity broke gender boundaries and both men and women became professionals. Some women chose to act and dress like men. One of the most successful of these was

Mary Frith Mary Frith (c. 1584 – 26 July 1659), alias Moll (or Mal) Cutpurse, was an English notorious pickpocket and fence of the London underworld. Meaning of nicknames Moll, apart from being a nickname for Mary, was a common name in the 16t ...

(Moll Cutpurse) who also helped organize and instruct the criminal underworld.

References

{{Poor Law English Poor Laws Acts of the Parliament of England (1485–1603) 1490s in law 1490s in England

1494 Year 1494 ( MCDXCIV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * January 4 – The Cetinje Octoechos (Цетињски октоих, an Eastern O ...

1494 in Europe