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Year 8

Was there a ‘Golden Age’ for the poor in Elizabethan England?

I can describe the extent to which the reign of Elizabeth I was a 'Golden Age' for the poor.

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Year 8

Was there a ‘Golden Age’ for the poor in Elizabethan England?

I can describe the extent to which the reign of Elizabeth I was a 'Golden Age' for the poor.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Elizabeth's reign has sometimes been described as a 'Golden Age'.
  2. The benefits of the 'Golden Age' were not shared equally in society.
  3. Social historians are interested in studying the lives of ordinary people.
  4. Social historians have sometimes argued that Elizabeth's reign was not a 'Golden Age' for the poor.

Keywords

  • Social historian - a social historian is a historian who is interested in studying the lives of ordinary people

Common misconception

Historians all study the same things in history.

There is a large and ever-growing variety of themes that historians look at in history that shape the way we view the past, e.g. military history, economic history, women's history and many more.


To help you plan your year 8 history lesson on: Was there a ‘Golden Age’ for the poor in Elizabethan England?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

In preparation for the final task, pair students up and have them argue one side of the question each. Then swap the pairs around so that everybody is arguing with a different person. This will enable them to hear and respond to a variety of different arguments.
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Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
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Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What was the 1601 Poor Law was designed to eliminate?
the negative attitudes of the lords towards poor farmers
Correct answer: the issues of vagrancy and begging
the concern that blood sports attracted criminals and drunken behaviour
Q2.
Which one of the following was a significant consequence of the dissolution of the monasteries?
Correct answer: Many people were forced to become vagrants and beggars.
Poor people were unable to use religious buildings.
Government had to find alternative buildings to support vagrants and beggars.
Q3.
The name of the most far-reaching act to support those living in poverty, passed in 1601 is .
Correct Answer: the Poor Law, The Poor Law, Poor Relief Act, poor relief act
Q4.
Which monarch passed the Vagabonds Act in 1572?
Correct Answer: Elizabeth I, Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth I
Q5.
Under which of the three categories outlined in the 1601 Poor Law could orphaned children become apprentices to craftsmen?
Correct answer: the impotent poor
the idle poor
the able-bodied poor
Q6.
The group of poor people who were able to work but chose not to were the called the .
Correct Answer: idle poor, idle

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
This keyword is a type of historian who is interested in studying the lives of ordinary people
Correct Answer: social historian, social
Q2.
What term is the generally accepted historical interpretation of Elizabeth I’s reign?
Correct Answer: Golden Age, the Golden Age, the golden age
Q3.
Which of the following three features of the Elizabethan period that can be used as evidence of it being a ‘Golden Age’?
Correct answer: Theatre as a form of entertainment was established.
Correct answer: The population gained access to all the benefits of education.
Correct answer: Elizabeth managed to calm religious tensions in England.
There was an increase in popularity of blood sports.
There was war with Spain.
Q4.
Which group of people were seen to be responsible for the poor during the Elizabethan period?
Correct answer: wealthy people making charitable donations
Correct answer: the Church
the government
Q5.
Why does James Sharpe think the Elizabethan period was a ‘Golden Age’ for the poor?
The poor got to experience a great deal of entertainment.
Correct answer: The Elizabethan Poor Law supported those who were unable to support themselves.
The growth of the economy meant that nobody went hungry during this period.
Q6.
Which of the following opportunities were seen to benefit at least some of the poor in Elizabethan England?
Correct answer: the growth in education
Correct answer: the 1601 Poor Law
Correct answer: theatre

Additional material

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