jan 1, 1795 - The Speenhamland System

Description:

The Speenhamland System was a method of giving relief to the poor, based on the price of bread and the number of children a man had. It further complicated the 1601 Elizabethan Poor Law because it allowed the able-bodied - those who were able to work - to draw on the poor rates.

The magistrates felt that 'the present state of the poor law requires further assistance than has generally been given them'.

Theydecided to bring in an allowance scale. The idea was that a labourer would have his income supplemented to subsistence level by the parish: a type of 'top-up' on very low wages. The magistrates also suggested that farmers and other employers should increase the wages of their employees, but this latter idea met with little success.

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