The life of the poor in Elizabethan England was very hard. The poor did not share the same luxuries and the same objects as the richest families. The poor had no way of getting the help they needed. Unlike today, welfare was not available to provide help and support. The government of Tudor England was concerned about the plight of the poor who lived in their community. They quickly noticed the changes in agriculture during this period. It is for this reason that people were moved away from rural and village life to find work in the cities. The wool trade increases considerably. They had noticed a sharp increase in the number of poor people. There were more poor people than rich people. In the city and on the farmland, they had difficulty finding employment. As if that were not enough, a series of poor harvests had occurred. This meant that the price of food would increase significantly. This had consequences for people who were dying of hunger and malnutrition. Homeless and malnourished citizens were becoming a danger to society, due to the dangerous measures they endured in order to find food. It was becoming more and more dangerous for society. The government became increasingly concerned about their plight and acted as quickly as it could. They decided to entrust each parish with responsibility for the poor and the unemployed. The Justice of the Peace (JP) was authorized to levy taxes on those who owned land in the parish. This had two advantages for the poor. It made them feel like something was finally being done for them. It also made them feel less upset about their current situation. Second, it could benefit the parish through the good work the poor do for the parish. The poor were divided into three different groups by the government. The first group was described as 'helpless... middle of paper...... the act was described as 'the poor should be put to work'. This relief was that the poor would be left in their own 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 rather than the Indoor law. The 1601 law stated that poor and unemployed parents who had children were responsible for themselves. Elderly parents were expected to live with their children and be cared for to the best of their ability by their children. Elizabethan laws were considered a religious duty to feed the hungry, to drink to the thirsty, to welcome strangers, to give clothing. to the naked, visiting the sick, visiting the prisoners and burying the dead. The legislation aimed to help the poor settle down by providing them with work, food, clothing, and other gifts commonly given..