ABSTRACT
Chapter two focuses on the introduction of the Poor Laws of the Tudor period describing the roles and responsibilities of overseers of the poor at the local level of administration. Prominence is given to the identification of certain groups of children, young people, and adults, referred to as the ‘impotent poor’, who were dependent, at least in part, on others for their daily living and care. Dissatisfaction with the operation of the Old Poor Law from the perspectives of both humanitarian concern and calls for a more punitive approach are discussed.
