What happened to the population of England and Wales across the sixteenth century?

It grew strongly, from roughly two and a half million in the 1520s to more than four million by the end of Elizabeth's reign, having recovered from the losses of the plague years.

Why did a rising population create poverty rather than prosperity?

More mouths pushed up the demand for food and for land while output and the number of holdings grew far more slowly, so prices rose, holdings were subdivided, and there were more workers competing for the same wages.

Describe what happened to prices during the century.

Prices rose sharply, with grain and other foodstuffs rising several times over, an experience contemporaries had no precedent for and no explanation of.

What happened to the real wages of a labourer over the period?

They fell heavily, because money wages rose slowly and were often held down by law, while the cost of bread rose steeply, so a day's work bought far less at the end of the century than at the beginning.

Explain what is meant by the Great Debasement.

The deliberate reduction of the silver content of the coinage under Henry VIII and Edward VI to raise money for war, which drove up prices and destroyed confidence in the currency.

WJEC A-Level History 601-5817-7

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Poverty, Protest and Rebellion in Wales and England c.1485-1603

Population, inflation and the growth of poverty

3 things to know
A2 Unit 3

Overview

What happened to prices during the century, what is meant by the Great Debasement and significance of common land to the poor.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

Why did food prices rise faster than the prices of manufactured goods?

Key term

Apart from population and debasement, name two other causes of the price rise.

Key term

How did the pattern of landholding change?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What happened to the population of England and Wales across the sixteenth century?
Model answer
It grew strongly, from roughly two and a half million in the 1520s to more than four million by the end of Elizabeth's reign, having recovered from the losses of the plague years.
2
Why did a rising population create poverty rather than prosperity?
Model answer
More mouths pushed up the demand for food and for land while output and the number of holdings grew far more slowly, so prices rose, holdings were subdivided, and there were more workers competing for the same wages.
3
Describe what happened to prices during the century.
Model answer
Prices rose sharply, with grain and other foodstuffs rising several times over, an experience contemporaries had no precedent for and no explanation of.
4
Why did food prices rise faster than the prices of manufactured goods?
Model answer
Demand for food is inelastic, so when population outran the harvest people bid whatever they had for bread, while cloth and other goods could be produced in greater quantity.
5
What happened to the real wages of a labourer over the period?
Model answer
They fell heavily, because money wages rose slowly and were often held down by law, while the cost of bread rose steeply, so a day's work bought far less at the end of the century than at the beginning.
6
Explain what is meant by the Great Debasement.
Model answer
The deliberate reduction of the silver content of the coinage under Henry VIII and Edward VI to raise money for war, which drove up prices and destroyed confidence in the currency.

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Government, Rebellion and Society in Wales and England c.1485-1603

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Politics, Protest and Reform in Wales and England c.1780-1880

Politics, People and Progress: Wales and England c.1880-1980

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