What did people think of the new Poor Law?
In 1834 a new Poor Law was introduced. Some people welcomed it because they believed it would: • reduce the cost of looking after the poor • take beggars off the streets • encourage poor people to work hard to support themselves. The new Poor Law ensured that the poor were housed in workhouses, clothed and fed. Children who entered the workhouse would receive some schooling. In return for this care, all workhouse paupers would have to work for several hours each day. However, not all Victorians shared this point of view. Some people, such as Richard Oastler, spoke out against the new Poor Law, calling the workhouses ‘Prisons for the Poor’. The poor themselves hated and feared the threat of the workhouse so much that there were riots in northern towns.
