The life of the poor in Elizabethan England was very hard. The poor did not share the same luxuries and possessions as richer families. There was no way for the poor to get the help they needed. Unlike today, welfare was not available to provide help and support. The government of Tudor England was concerned about the poor living in their community. They soon noticed the changes in agriculture during this time period. For this reason people were moved away from country and village life to find work in the cities. The wool trade increases significantly. They had noticed that there was a vast increase in the poor. There were more poor than rich. Even in the city, with cultivated fields, they had difficulty finding work. If that wasn't enough, there had been a series of poor harvests. This meant that the price of food would increase significantly. This had an effect on people dying of starvation and malnutrition. Homeless and malnourished citizens were becoming a danger to society, due to the dangerous measures they had to endure to obtain food. This was increasingly becoming a danger to society. The government was increasingly worried about them and acted as quickly as possible. They decided to entrust each parish with responsibility for the poor and unemployed. The Justice of the Peace (JP) was permitted to collect taxes from those who owned land in the parish. This had two advantages for the poor. It made them feel like something had finally been done for them. It also made them feel less upset about their current situation. Secondly, it could benefit the parish due to the good work that the poor do for the parish. The poor were divided into three different groups by the government. The first group was labeled “defenseless… middle of paper… the act was described as “the poor should be put to work.” The relief was that the poor would be left in their homes and given money and kind offerings of food, clothing, and other items that might be needed. Most of the poor population chose this option over the domestic law. The 1601 law stated that poor and unemployed parents who had children were responsible for themselves. Aging parents were expected to live with their children and care for their children to the best of their ability. The Elizabethan laws were considered a religious duty of feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming strangers, giving clothing to the naked, visiting the sick, visiting the imprisoned, and burying the dead. The legislation was intended to help settle the poor by providing them with jobs, food, clothing, and other generally offered gifts.