Speenhamland system
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"The Speenhamland episode revealed to the people of the leading country of the century the true nature of the social adventure on which they were embarking. Neither the rulers nor the ruled ever forgot the lessons of that fool's paradise; if the Reform Bill of 1832 and the Poor Law Amendment of 1834 were commonly regarded as the starting point of modern capitalism, it was because they put an end to the rule of the benevolent landlord and his allowance system." --The Great Transformation by Karl Polanyi, p. 84 |
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The Speenhamland system, also known as the Berkshire Bread Act was a form of outdoor relief intended to mitigate rural poverty in England and Wales at the end of the 18th century and during the early 19th century. The law was an amendment to the Elizabethan Poor Law. It was created as an indirect result of Britain’s involvements in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (1793–1815).
See also
- UK labour law
- Earned income tax credit
- Roundsman
- Labour Rate
- Poor Law
- Timeline of children's rights in the United Kingdom
- NREGA
