The Elizabethan poor laws changed the way the poor were looked after in Elizabethan England. Rather than being looked after by charity and begging a compulsory poor rate (tax) was introduced and distributed to local parishes who would then look after the 'deserving poor'. The deserving poor being those who widowed, orphaned, elderly or disabled or became poor due to a natural disasters. This also meant that vagrants, who were poor by choice, could no longer beg for their living.

The population of dependent childrenBefore the establishment of the Elizabethan law of 1601, children from poor families were lacking basic needs and services. This was because of the inability of their families to earn enough money required for paying for the essential services

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