CHAPTER VIII.
PARLIAMENT AND THE PRIVY COUNCIL.
1597-1644.
- 1. Characteristics of the period.
- 2. Legislation from 1597 to 1644.
- Administrative machinery.
- 3. Action of the Privy Council before 1629.
- 4. Action of the Privy Council after 1629 with regard to the provision of corn.
- 5. Action of the Privy Council after 1629 with regard to the unemployed.
- 6. The Book of Orders as a whole and the royal commission of 1630/1.
- 7. Interference with wages as a method of helping the poor.
- 8. Summary.
1. Characteristics of the period.
The years between 1597 and 1644 are in many respects a unique period in the history of English poor relief. A great deal of evidence exists, which seems to indicate, that in many places during some of these years the whole of the Elizabethan poor law was put in execution: that is, work was provided for the unemployed as well as relief for the impotent.
After the Civil War a part only of the system survived. There are thus grounds for believing that never since the days of Charles I. have we had either so much provision of work for the able-bodied or so complete a system of looking after the more needy classes when they were suffering from the effects of fire, pestilence and famine. For this reason alone the history of the poor at this period is especially interesting, and it is also at this time that the history of the poor is more directly connected than usual with the history of the nation as a whole.
We will trace as in the preceding periods the history of legislation and of the action of the Privy Council. But the relief of the poor is a matter which can only be efficiently administered by men who have a great knowledge of detail. The action of the Privy Council would have had very little effect unless there had been an efficient system of local government.
We will therefore examine the local machinery of administration as well as the central and will see what kind of work was done by judges, justices and overseers in regard to the relief of the poor. We shall then know who did the duties with regard to relief now performed by the Local Government Board, Boards of Guardians, magistrates, and relieving officers.