In historical

English law English law is the common law list of national legal systems, legal system of England and Wales, comprising mainly English criminal law, criminal law and Civil law (common law), civil law, each branch having its own Courts of England and Wales, ...

, a sturdy beggar was a person who was fit and able to work, but begged or wandered for a living instead. The Statute of Cambridge 1388 was an early law which differentiated between sturdy beggars and the infirm ( handicapped or elderly) poor. The Vagabonds and Beggars Act 1494 listed restrictions and punishments. In the 1530s and into the 1540s, many English monasteries were closed, reducing resources available to the poor, and the

Vagabonds Act 1530 The Vagabonds Act 1530 ( 22 Hen. 8. c. 12) was an act of the Parliament of England passed under Henry VIII and is a part of the Tudor Poor Laws of England. In full, it was entitled "An Act directing how aged, poor and impotent Persons, compel ...

empowered justices of the peace to issue licences to those unable to work, making begging by persons able to work a crime. Types of sturdy beggar included the Tom o'Bedlam, who would pretend to be mad and follow people around. People would give him money to go away. The bristler used loaded dice that would land on any number he chose. This way, he could cheat at dice. The Counterfeit Crank would use soap to foam at the mouth, and pretend to have violent fits so that people may give money out of empathy.

Unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is the proportion of people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work du ...

carried the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

on repeat offences. In 16th-century England, no distinction was made between

vagrants Vagrancy is the condition of wandering homelessness without regular employment or income. Vagrants usually live in poverty and support themselves by travelling while engaging in begging, scavenging, or petty theft. In Western countries, ...

and the jobless; both were simply categorised as "sturdy beggars", who were to be punished and moved on. In 1547, a bill was passed that subjected vagrants to some of the more extreme provisions of the criminal law: two years' servitude and branding with a "V" as the penalty for the first offence and death for the second.R. O. Bucholz, Newton Key, Early modern England, 1485–1714, p176 There are many types of Sturdy Beggars (sometimes classed as Vagabonds) such as the Counterfeit Cranks who faked terrible illnesses just to get money.

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Poor Law Origins
Poor Law in Britain and Ireland English legal terminology Illegal occupations {{Law-term-stub

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External resources