This pamphlet examines recent research into the poor laws of Tudor and Stuart England. Dr Beier asks the question âwho were the poor?â and in answering it places the âproblem of the poorâ in its historical context examining it in relation to medieval provisions for dealing with poverty. He shows how far legislation was influenced by economic changes by ideas about poverty and by the interests of the legislators themselves. Dr Beier evaluates the varying interpretations of the poor laws from those who have seen them as an early âwelfare stateâ to those who have considered them to be the manifestation of a âProtestant ethicâ. The major poor-law statues are summarized in an appendix and there is a useful bibliography. . Language: English