The Decrease in cost of poor relief meant that less people were willing to claim poor relief, as it was a lot less glamorous than it used to be. Less money was spent on the quality of food and housing within the workhouses, which meant that people held it in dread and didn’t want to have to go there. The diet within the workhouses was worse than anything that was available outside, and the work was very demanding and challenging, with many people often sustaining injuries due to such laborious tasks. This all put people off the idea of wanting to go to the workhouses, and made them try hard to find jobs, and work as well as possible to get the amount of money needed to sustain a family.
The moral of the poor became much better as well. People were swiftly becoming good workers and were more willing to behave better. This meant they wouldn’t spend the night drinking in taverns, blowing their cash which was desperately needed for food (especially when the corn prices rose).
For people who did have to enter the workhouses, there were still some advantages. They would be treated if they were ill, and the children would learn literature and maths. They were also taught a trade (i.e. Carpentry, stonemasonry etc).
Failures of the New Poor Law
There were, however, many failures when it came to the new poor law. These included rioting, opposition from the poor, and inefficiency of commissioners.
There was opposition in the North towards the New Poor Law Amendment Act. They felt that it was easier to give outdoor relief for short periods of time (i.e. when there was an economic slump). They felt that when a slump occurred, it would be easier to give outdoor relief rather than to go into a workhouse for a week or two. This meant that outdoor relief was never fully abolished, with some areas of Yorkshire and Lancashire never introducing the New Poor Law.
There was also some opposition from the poor, with large numbers of people in Stockport and Bradford rioting and attempting to trash the workhouses in their areas. The poor reputation and rumours were spreading, with things being said about just how nasty the workhouses really were, and that some people didn’t manage to survive in the workhouses.
The Andover scandal was another bad advertisement for the workhouses, with papers all across the country spreading the news that inmates in the Andover workhouse were eating raw flesh and marrow from the bones which they had to crush doing their daily chores. Also, it was believed that the Master within the Andover workhouse would drink heavily and abuse the female inmates.
The commissioners were blamed for starving the poor, reducing wages and robbing the rate payers by not using their money to give to the hard-working inmates at some of the workhouses. This led some people to nickname the new act the “Starvation Law”. The Masters and Matrons were also very strict, making people work way too hard than they should have done, and saving money on food to spend on their families.
Therefore, the New Poor Law act did have many advantages, like causing the poor to buck their ideas up and begin working. However, the people who ran the workhouses were way too strict towards the inmates, which was a major disadvantage. Therefore, I feel that the New Poor Law was a success, as it taught people that working is a very important part of life, and has made our country what it is today.
