Old Age, Poverty and Gender in Rural England: A Case Study of Suffolk 1750-1834

The thesis investigates the complex interaction between old age, poverty and gender with the aim of adding to our understanding of the impact of old age on the achievement of self-sufficiency and residential independence for elderly poor men. It examines the expectations and experience of old age of elderly farm labourers in rural Suffolk between 1750 and 1834 and the extent to which they were able to achieve self-sufficiency and maintain residential independence. Continuity with earlier periods in the manner that the process of ageing and old age were perceived and understood and the extent to which these ideals continued to be influential in the establishment of masculine status and identity is explored. The study examines the size and diversity of the aged population and the gendered nature of the lifecycle options and the coping tactics available to old male paupers and the contribution they afforded to the the achievement of elf-sufficiency and residential independence. The impact of the significant demographic, economic and social changes that Suffolk underwent in the eighteenth century and the impact they had on the day-to-day realities of life for poor aged men of the lower orders, including continued working, home environment and opportunities for leisure are explored. The occupational constraints faced by older farm labourers as a result of the region’s reliance on agriculture as a source of employment are also examined. The thesis also considers changes in the manner the poor law was administered and the basis on which decisions for the provision of relief to aged male claimants were made by Suffolk’s rural poor law incorporations and whether demographic and economic pressures resulted in a gendered poor law policy which disadvantaged aged men.