Why Were Some of the English Poor Laws passed between 1531 and 1598 Controversial?

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Why Were Some of the English Poor Laws passed between 1531 and 1598 Controversial?

Poverty was an endemic problem in early modern British society. There was no single cause responsible for the increase in the number of people considered to be poor, rather it was the result of many economic and social factors. For instance, during the sixteenth century the population rose dramatically, increasing from three to four million (a growth of twenty five percent) during the reign of Elizabeth I alone. This growth in population was not matched by a growth of employment opportunities. Inflation was also running high in both England and Scotland, which meant that as prices rose, (the cost of a basket of consumer goods rose sixfold between 1500 and 1640) wages could not reflect these increases. On average crops would fail every three years, which again had the effect of pushing up food prices and more and more arable land which could have being used for crops was being enclosed, for products such as wool. Disease was also rampant and on a micro level, death of the wage earner, old age and illness to name few, were causes of poverty. This time period also