Vagabonds Act 1536

Act of Parliament
	Parliament of England
Long title	An Act for Punishment of sturdy Vagabonds and Beggars.
Citation	27 Hen. 8. c. 25
Dates
Royal assent	14 April 1536
Other legislation
Repealed by	Statute Law Revision Act 1863
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

The Act for Punishment of Sturdy Vagabonds and Beggars (27 Hen. 8. c. 25) was an act passed in Tudor England by Henry VIII. It is part of the Tudor Poor Laws. It was the earliest English Poor Law to provide for structured collections for the poor.

The 1536 act provided that “sturdy” vagabonds should be set to work after being punished.^[1] It also provided that local mayors, bailiffs, constables, and other officers were responsible for ensuring that the poor in their parish were cared for such that they need not beg.^[2] Although they could not use municipal funds nor levy a compulsory tax on the parish to raise this money, they organized collections in a common box.^[2] In addition, voluntary contributions to the poor other than through the common box were made illegal; the goal of this latter provision was to control discriminatory giving.^[3]

Although this act lapsed later in 1536, its designation of the parish as the administrator of charitable giving lasted into future poor law reforms.^[4]

References

^ Slack, Paul (1995). The English Poor Law 1531–1782. Economic History Society (1st Cambridge University Press ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-55785-2. OCLC 32465221.
^ ^a ^b Sidney & Beatrice Webb, English Local Government: English Poor Law History Part 1. The Old Poor Law 46 (1927)
^ Slack, Paul (1990). The English Poor Law 1531–1782. p. 17.
^ Slack, Paul (1990). The English Poor Law 1531–1782. p. 59.

[1] Slack, Paul (1995). The English Poor Law 1531–1782. Economic History Society (1st Cambridge University Press ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-55785-2. OCLC 32465221.

[Webbs-2] Sidney & Beatrice Webb, English Local Government: English Poor Law History Part 1. The Old Poor Law 46 (1927)

[Slack-3] Slack, Paul (1990). The English Poor Law 1531–1782. p. 17.

[4] Slack, Paul (1990). The English Poor Law 1531–1782. p. 59.

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v t e Poor laws of the British Isles
Poor laws by territory	England and Wales Scotland Ireland Isle of Man	Nantwich workhouse
Old Poor Law	Vagabonds and Beggars Act 1494 Tudor poor laws Poor Relief Act 1597 Poor Relief Act 1601 Poor Relief Act 1662 Relief of the Poor Act 1696 Poor Relief Act 1722 Relief of the Poor Act 1782 House of correction Overseer of the poor Poor rate Poor relief Buttock mail
Relief systems	Outdoor relief Speenhamland Labour Rate Roundsman Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor
New Poor Law	Royal commission (1832) Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 Poor Law (Scotland) Act 1845 Less eligibility Workhouse Workhouse test Board of guardians Outdoor Labour Test Order Outdoor Relief Prohibitory Order Poor law unions Opposition Book of Murder Scottish poorhouse
Changes after 1834	Poor Law Commission Poor Law Board Local Government Board Andover workhouse scandal Huddersfield workhouse scandal Union Chargeability Act
Decline and abolition	Liberal welfare reforms Royal Commission (1905–09) Majority Report Minority Report Interwar poverty National Assistance Act 1948
Other	Christmas Day in the Workhouse Historiography of the Poor Laws Timeline of the English Poor Law system Poor Relief Act List of poor law unions in England List of poor law unions in Wales List of Irish poor law unions