How far do these sources confirm the view that the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act was cruel in its implementation?

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Sam James 8097

Walton High School

Mr Corrigan

How far do these sources confirm the view that the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act was cruel in its implementation?

Sources 1, 2 and 5 go furthest in confirming the view that the poor law amendment act was cruel in its implementation.

Source 1 written by Frederick Engels, strongly supports this view by showing evidence of cruelty to children, in the second paragraph. It states how 'a boy of five years old was punished by being shut in a dead room, where he had to sleep upon the lids of the coffins.' This being a very demoralising punishment for a child. A further example is given by Engels where he talks of an investigation revealing a nurse treating 'sufferers' who 'were tied fast with cords passed over the covering and under the bedstead, to save the nurse the trouble of sitting up at night.' Again this shows extreme cruelty under the poor law. This can be backed up by my own knowledge that there were various scandals such as the Andover Workhouse Scandal 1845-6, which showed extreme cases of cruelty. However these examples only show