Attempts to solve the problem of pauperism by local authorities in England on the eve of the revolution in the middle of the 17^th century 

Vladimir P. Mitrofanov, Doctor of historical sciences, professor of the sub-department of general history and social sciences, Penza State University (40 Krasnaya street, Penza, Russia), vm@em-england.ru

Background. During the period of the genesis of capitalism in England, a social community called paupers (mainly former peasants) was formed. Since the time of the first Tudors, the central government (the king and parliament) issued laws regarding them, providing for the suppression of their vagrancy by means of punishment and their forced settlement as hired workers in manufactories. These tasks were assigned to local authorities. How and to what extent they managed to solve them is important to find out in order to determine the social essence of the policy of the English monarchy on the eve of the revolu-tion in the middle of the 17^th century. Materials and methods. Following the principle of historicism, using the comparative-historical method of research, the method of analysis and synthesis, narrative and legal sources are analyzed, allowing us to trace the activities of local authorities in a number of counties and their effectiveness in solving the problem of pauperism. Results. An analysis of narrative and legal sources for a number of counties shows that local authorities in the form of justices of the peace, hundred constables, town authorities and pauper wardens faced many issues in relation to paupers, the solution of which largely depended on finances, i.e. the ability and willingness of local wealthy residents to contribute money to the pauper relief fund. The charity of individuals did not play a significant role, since it was limited in nature and could not cover the entire mass of them. Conclusions. A certain policy was carried out locally, the object of which could be not only paupers, but also representatives of other strata of the population, impoverished for various reasons. Although local authorities continued to use physical punishment against paupers, they increasingly began to organize the creation of jobs for ablebodied paupers. Although this was practiced earlier, now this method of solving the problem of pauperism is becoming more and more decisive. In general, the attempts of local authorities for objective and subjective reasons were insufficient, and the problem of pauperism will persist in England in the following centuries.

Pauperism, justice of the peace, city governments, pauper laws, counties, poor relief, workhouses, punishment of vagrants

Mitrofanov V.P. Attempts to solve the problem of pauperism by local authori-ties in England on the eve of the revolution in the middle of the 17^th century. Izvestiya vys-shikh uchebnykh zavedeniy. Povolzhskiy region. Gumanitarnye nauki = University proceedings. Volga region. Humanities. 2025;(2):82–96. (In Russ.). doi: 10.21685/2072-3024-2025-2-7