Page "Workhouse" Paragraph 5

The Poor Law Act of 1388 was an attempt to address the labour shortage caused by the Black Death, a devastating pandemic that killed about one-third of England's population.

The new law fixed wages and restricted the movement of labourers, as it was anticipated that if they were allowed to leave their parishes for higher-paid work elsewhere then wages would inevitably rise.

According to historian Derek Fraser, the fear of social disorder following the plague ultimately resulted in the state, and not a " personal Christian charity ", becoming responsible for the support of the poor.

The resulting laws against vagrancy were the origins of state-funded relief for the poor.

From the 16th century onwards a distinction was legally enshrined between those who were able to work but could not, and those who were able to work but would not ; between " the genuinely unemployed and the idler ".

Supporting the destitute was a problem exacerbated by King Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries, which began in 1536.

They had been " a significant source of alms " and provided a good deal of direct and indirect employment.

The Poor Relief Act of 1576 went on to establish the principle that if the able-bodied poor needed support then they had to work for it.