A poverty stricken place

[lysander]

Having re-discovered Mary Walton's book a quick trawl led me to quote something she wrote.:

Earl Gilbert ordered a survey of its inhabitants to find out what the very poor could expect from their fellow-townsmen.His officers reported as follows:-

"By a survaie of the towne of Sheffield made the second daie of January 1615 by twenty four of the most sufficient inhabitants there, it appeareth that there are in the towne of Sheffield 2207 people; of which there are 725 among them which are not able to live without the charity of their neighbours. These are all begging poore.

100 householders which relieve others. These ( though the beste sorte) are but poore artificers;among them is not onewhich can keepe a teamon his owne land,and not above tenn who have grounds of their own that will keep a cow. 160 households not able to reliave others. These are such( though they beg not) as are not able to abide the storme of one fortnight's sickness but would thereby be driven to to beggary . 1222 children and servants of the said households: the greatest part of which are such as live of small wages and are constrained to works sore, to provide them necessaries."

This appalling situation was not uncommon amongst manufacturing towns...what made Sheffield out of the ordinary was having no prosperous wealthy burghers within the town itself....The more prosperous lived outside the town and were not included.