Government & Public Health in Early Modern Britain (OCR GCSE History B (Schools History Project)): Revision Note

Summary

National and local governments played a limited role in public health during the Early Modern Period. They did become more involved during the various plague outbreaks. During the Early Modern Period, there was widespread addiction to alcohol in many cities. Known as the gin craze, it also caused the national government to become involved.

The impact of local government on public health

• Councils and mayors introduced various laws and measures during the Early Modern Period to try to improve life in their towns and cities

• Measures included:

  • Fining people for not clearing dung hills or for throwing their excrement into the streets

  • Employing scavengers and rakers to clean the streets and to collect household rubbish

  • Providing water through public conduits

• Towards the end of the Early Modern Period, many councils made efforts to improve the living conditions for wealthy inhabitants

  • Streets were paved (making them easier to clean) and lit by oil-burning lamps (making the streets safer)

  • Large, terraced houses were built around squares and broad streets with pavements to attract wealthy people

  • Water was often piped directly into the houses of wealthy people

• For both rich and poor, however, the problem of dealing with human sewage remained a major problem

The impact of national government on public health

• The national government mostly stayed out of public health in the Early Modern period

• An exception to this was their attempts to deal with the various outbreaks of the plague

  • A royal proclamation was issued by Henry VIII in 1518, which instructed mayors on how to deal with the outbreak

  • Elizabeth I's government printed and issued Plague Orders in 1578, which local officials were instructed to enforce

  • The Plague Act of 1604 introduced punishments for breaking isolation for the whole country

• Another time the national government became involved in public health matters was in response to the gin craze

The gin craze

• Alcoholic drinks in the form of small beer had been drunk by people of all ages for centuries in place of water

• In Early Modern Britain, poor people began to drink spirits instead of ale

• Alcoholism became a common issue in Britain from around 1650

• Thousands of small distilleries were soon opened in Britain's towns and cities.

  • This led to gin becoming incredibly cheap to buy

  • Many people escaped their hard and miserable lives by getting drunk

• The increase in consumption of spirits had a major impact on the health of individual people and caused major social problems

  • Drunk people became more involved in crime and violence

  • It caused families to break up

  • Drunk people get involved in more accidents, including fatal accidents

• The problem had become so significant by the 1720s that the government decided to act

The 1729 Gin Act

• Placed a tax of five shillings on every gallon of gin

• Required gin sellers to buy an annual licence for £20

• The aim was to drive the price of gin up, but it failed

  • There were so many distillers and tiny gin shops that people just ignored the law

The 1736 Gin Act

• The tax was increased to twenty shillings

• The licence increased to £50

• This was also ignored and gin remained very cheap

The 1743 Gin Act

• The 1743 Gin Act made it illegal to sell gin anywhere apart from alehouses

  • Gin consumption continued to increase

  • Over 11 million gallons of it were drunk in London in 1750 alone

• These laws had little effect because they were difficult to enforce and easily ignored

The 1751 Gin Act

• Punishing anyone caught selling gin illegally with whipping and imprisonment

  • If they were caught three times, the punishment was transportation

• This acted as an effective deterrent

• It dramatically reduced gin consumption

• The national government brought the gin craze to an end and improved the health of the nation