Who Were the Poor of Cumnor in the 1840s - Case Study Example

Who were the Poor of Cumnor in the 1840s? For many centuries, the lives of a majority of people in England had been tied to the land as many of them worked the land in order to support themselves and their families. Furthermore, as a result of their being able to support themselves through working the land, these individuals ensured that they were kept constantly occupied and productive.1 These conditions came to an abrupt end with the agrarian revolution and the rise of industrialisation. A significant number of labourers in England lost the land that they had farmed for centuries as a result of the introduction of the land enclosure system and a number of these ended up not only being unemployed but also homeless. There were those who were labourers yet could not apply their skills because they were neither employed nor did not own land. The land enclosure system had a devastating effect on these individuals and among the places which were most affected was the Cumnor Parish. Within Cumnor Parish, the land enclosure system and industrialisation had brought about a situation where part of the population was left landless and those who managed to keep some holdings, like in Cumnor village, ended up being unemployed because the cottage industries that had been prevalent were overtaken by cheap industrial goods.2 Starting in the later 18th century, a significant number of people in Cumnor parish ended up being poor because they were denied the means through which they could support themselves. Their being denied access to land as well as other job opportunities within their community made conditions of living very difficult for them and it ensured that a number of them left the village and parish to find opportunities elsewhere. Some of those who left went to towns and cities which had become industrial centres and were believed to have greater opportunities than those available in their parish. However, a number of these people, despite the difficult living conditions that they were forced to endure, also chose to remain within the parish. By the 1840s, the conditions within the parish had become even more difficult because the population of the poor within it had increased at a surprising rate. This increase can be attributed to the problems which had began during the agrarian and industrial revolutions that has devastated peoples livelihoods through land dispossession and the destruction of the cottage industries which has helped to improve the lives of people in Cumnor. Therefore, by the 1840s, the poor of Cumnor parish were a population that was in continuous increase as a result of policies and actions of landowners which had essentially dispossessed these people. The two revolutions named above, while they had take place over a half a century before still had repercussions in the 1840s and this was mainly because they had been forced to leave behind the life that they had known for centuries for that which they were still unfamiliar with.3 A generation after the events that led to their dispossession by the landowners as well as the fall of cottage industries though the production of industrial goods, the poor of Cumnor remained in a dilemma because they could not longer use their skills on farms to ensure that their needs were met, nor were they able to develop any new skills which were needed in the new social and economic environment. The ability of these individuals to thrive in this new environment was hampered by the scarcity of jobs which many employers took advantage of through forcing down of wages. Individuals in the Cumnor community were forced to work for long hours for low wages and because a great number of people were interested in the minimal number of jobs available, many had no choice but to accept the low wages offered. The rest of the poor population, despite being able bodied and possessing some skills, continued to be mired in poverty because of the scarcity of jobs. Those who had once occupied small firms that they worked to support themselves were now landless and this situation had been passed down to their children and grandchildren so that by the 1840s, the poor population in Cumnor parish had increased to such an extent that it had become a social problem in the area. The landless situation of the poor in Cumnor parish created avenues through which these individuals could be exploited by those people in society who had the means to do so. As seen above, those who were willing to hire the poor for the purpose of conducting various jobs tended to offer them very low wages.4 These wages often came at irregular intervals and at times, the poor were completely denied their earnings even though they had fulfilled their obligations to their employers. The manner through which these individuals survived the conditions that they had been thrown into can be considered a miracle as well as a feat of resilience that ensured their continued survival within the society of Cumnor. That they could barely make ends meet can be attested to through the realisation of a need by the central government as well as the parish of a need to ensure that the welfare of the poor was taken care of so that potential riots could be avoided. As will be discussed later, these new policies were not only designed to ensure that the welfare of the poor was protected, but also that all of those who were able bodied were encouraged to find meaningful employment so that they could stop relying too much on charity to survive. The poor in Cumnor were forced to developed new sets of skills that could be used to ensure that they not only survived in the new economic environment that had developed, but that they also were able to rise above the poverty that was plaguing them as a result of the loss of the way of life to which they were accustomed. The cottage industries that had been prevalent in Cumnor parish before the industrial revolution were greatly undermined through the development of manufacturing based on larger units that were situated in towns. These brought about a situation where they created heavy competition for rural cottage industries which resulted in the latter’s collapse. An example of this is the textile industry where textiles had once been spun in the rural areas on a large scale but all this came to an end when there developed machine-based linen and woollen textile industries that were based in towns and cities. As a result of their greater efficiency, their products were cheaper and this brought about a situation where the cottage textile industry in Cunmor essentially collapsed. Those who had once worked these industries ended up being disposed and it led to a situation where the number of poor in the parish increased. It is as a result of the increase in the number of poor in the parish that the local administration sought to ensure that they were provided with the needs necessary to alleviate their situation. The activities of the local administration were funded for the most part by donations from the local landowners as well as wealthy individuals in the area mainly because of compassion.5 Studies have shown that a considerable number of people in the parish contributed sums of money towards the welfare of the poor and this, at least at the beginning of the 19th century helped the poor to make ends meet. However, by the 1840s, the increase in the number of poor created a situation where it was quite difficult to sustain them and the parish-run charities were under a lot of strain. Among the biggest contributors to the poverty that occurred in Cumnor was the migration of part of the population as a result of the collapse of local cottage industries. The massive competition from industries in towns ensured that some within the population ended up losing their livelihoods and some of these chose to leave for the cities where they sought greater opportunities to improve their lives.6 While this may have been the case, those who remained behind despite their trades being essentially obsolete entered poverty. Furthermore, there are some, especially those in the building industry, who ended up losing their livelihoods because the migrations meant that they could not have the same amount of work that they normally would when the parish had a full population. The population decline can be considered to have been a disaster for not only builders, but also the brewers, millers and furniture makers in the parish and because many of these often chose not to leave for the cities as their counterparts had done; the number of poor in the parish increased to such an extent that it came to put pressure on the operations meant to help the poor. The fear of riots by the poor in rural areas, Cumnor included, forced the central government to become involved in the helping in ensuring the welfare of the poor through diverse Acts of Parliament. These Acts, including the Poverty and Poor Law were meant to make it possible for the development of proper planning for the management of the affairs of the poor in Cumnor parish. The poor of Cumnor were brought under the jurisdiction of a set of laws designed to ensure that they were not only taken care of, but that their period under such care remained limited.7 This was especially the case where the central government came to take a direct hand in the management of the local poor welfare system alongside the parish government and this helped in making possible greater efficiency. The need to preserve social order made it imperative that government be involved in dealing with the poor and the poor of Cumnor were affected by these legislations in different ways. While many of the poor were helped through this new system, some of them found the conditions within it too hard to cope with and opted to either seek work within the parish or elsewhere in England where they believed they could find better opportunities. The central government developed a system that included workhouses or poorhouses which were meant to support the poor in their bid to make ends meet. Furthermore, orphans within the Cumnor parish were also admitted to these workhouses where they were provided with food, clothes, and shelter so that they could be as comfortable as possible. However, it should be noted that a significant number of these workhouses had a reputation for great cruelty towards the orphans admitted within them; a matter that would become of great concern in the late 1840s. These workhouses also facilitated the support of the poor through the supplementation of their wages through their being provided with money, food and clothes which allowed these individuals to earn a living the best way that they knew how while being able to make ends meet. Similar to other parishes in the country, Cumnor saw the exploitation of the system by employers who took advantage of the payments given to their poor employees to reduce the wages that these individuals received. Many employers believed that it was the best means through which to cut their expenditure by transferring it to the government; hence increasing their profits at the expense of the poor. It should be noted that the ratepayers within the parish were the ones that were heavily depended upon to support the system through their contributions. Despite this being the case, they welfare system for the poor remained highly unstable because as a result of the wage cuts conducted by employers as well as an increase in the cost of basic foods such as bread, the system underwent significant strain hence a need for reform. Moreover, there were situations where the growth of family sizes often made it difficult for ratepayers to sustain themselves and this brought about many protests against the system within the parish.8 The direct involvement of the central government in the matter was done not because of compassion, but out of a need to ensure that all potential riots in the country by ratepayers were prevented while at the same time providing much needed support for the poor so that they could be able to make ends meet. The ability of the central government to help the poor of Cumnor was, however, based on some preconditions which were essential to ensure that they did not take too long in the system or take advantage of it to such an extent that significant strain was placed on it. One of the aims of government reforms to the workhouse system were to ensure that all able bodied poor was to be ineligible for the payments made to them. This objective was carried out in such a manner that these individuals were made to endure such harsh conditions in the workhouses that they chose to seek employment elsewhere.9 It was believed that able bodied individuals would take advantage of the system in such a way that some would go to the extent of claiming to be ill for long periods of time so that they could continue to receive payments indefinitely. Furthermore, in a bid to ensure that the system was self-sustaining, workhouse inmates were made to work on different enterprises that would provide an income for the workhouses. However, it is essential to note that despite their efforts, none of what they did made more than a little income for the workhouses, forcing the government to step in with funding to ensure that all operating costs were covered. It should also be noted that almost none of the work that was provided for the inmates could generate the profits necessary to make these workhouses self-sustaining. Among the tasks that these individuals were given were taking care of the sick, providing classes for their fellow inmates (which failed miserably considering that most of those assigned this task could neither read nor write), as well as breaking rock or removing the hemp from telegraph wires, tasks which were essentially pointless. Therefore, in order to make it possible for the workhouse system to remain sustainable, it was found to be necessary to discourage all able bodied individuals from applying for entry to these workhouses, thus keeping expenditure low. The records for the 1841 census shows that a majority of the people within the Cumnor parish were labourers and as such must have been most affected by the changes that had taken place within the agrarian system of the area.10 It seems that not only were these individuals disposed of their land but they were also victims of exploitation by the people who accepted their services. These individuals came to be denied the right to possess the land that they had occupied for generations and it created a situation where a significant number of the one thousand people in Cumnor parish were left destitute by the 1940s. Their ability to make ends meet was highly restricted and these individuals were forced to rely heavily on local parish run charities as well as on the workhouse system in order to make ends meet. That these individuals had to fend for themselves in difficult economic conditions, especially considering the regulations that were developed to keep able bodied individuals outside this system, created a situation where it was extremely difficult for the poor of Cumnor to cope with their living conditions. While this may have been the case, it should be noted that these individuals showed a lot of resilience in not only navigating the workhouse system, but also ensuring that they were able to take advantage of whatever opportunities that came their way to make sure that their conditions were improved. One would suggest that rural-urban migration was one of the means through which these individuals might have sought to improve their fortunes because it was believed that the towns held the best opportunities for the landless individuals in the rural areas. The new types of work in the urban areas must have proven to be extremely attractive for some part of the poor population at Cumnor and these migrated in a bid to ensure that their lives were more improved than in the parish. In conclusion, the poor of Cumnor parish can be considered to be among the people who were most affected by the two major revolutions of the modern age; the agrarian and the industrial revolutions. The discussion has shown that within Cumnor Parish, the land enclosure system and industrialisation had brought about a situation where part of the population was left landless. In this way, by the 1840s, the poor of Cumnor parish were a population that was in continuous increase as a result of policies and actions of landowners which had essentially dispossessed these people. Furthermore, the landless situation of the poor in Cumnor parish created avenues through which these individuals could be exploited by those people in society who had the means to do so. Moreover, the cottage industries that had been prevalent in Cumnor parish before the industrial revolution were greatly undermined through the development of manufacturing based on larger units that were situated in towns. It has been found that among the biggest contributors to the poverty that occurred in Cumnor was the migration of part of the population as a result of the collapse of local cottage industries. In order to remedy the situation, the poor of Cumnor were brought under the jurisdiction of a set of laws designed to ensure that they were not only taken care of, but that their period under such care remained limited. Similar to other parishes in England, Cumnor saw the exploitation of the system by employers who took advantage of the payments given to their poor employees to reduce the wages that these individuals received. Government reforms to the workhouse system were undertaken to ensure that all able bodied poor was to be ineligible for the payments made to them. Finally, the records for the 1841 census show that a majority of the people within the Cumnor parish were labourers and as such must have been most affected by the changes that had taken place within the agrarian system of the area. References “1841 CENSUS Cumnor tything”. [Online] Available at: http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/external/cumnor/documents/census-1841.htm [accessed 05 May 2015] Engels, F., 1892. The Condition of the Working-Class in England in 1844. London, Swan Sonnenschein & Co. Knott, J., 1986. Popular opposition to the 1834 Poor Law. London, Taylor & Francis. Levinson, D. 2004, "An Act for the Amendment and better Administration of the Laws relating to the Poor in England and Wales (14th August 1834)", Encyclopedia of Homelessness, vol. 2, pp. 663–92. Long, J. 2005, “Rural-Urban Migration and Socioeconomic Mobility in Victorian Britain,” The Journal of Economic History, vol. 61, no. 1, pp. 1 – 35. Page, W.H. & Ditchfield, P.H. 1924. A History of the County of Berkshire, Volume 4. Victoria County History. pp. 398–405. Pevsner, N., 1966. Berkshire. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. Spicker, P. British social policy 1601–1948. Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen: Centre for Public Policy and Management. [Online] Available at: http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy/introduction/historyf.htm [accessed 05 May 2015] Winstanley, M. 2011, “The Rural Exodus.” BBC. [Online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/exodus_01.shtml [accessed 05 May 2015] Woodward, D. 1981, “Wage rates and living standards in pre-industrial England,” Past & Present vol. 91, no.1, pp.28-46. Read More