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Away from the luxury of the monarchy in the Elizabethan era, life for ordinary people was often hard and the number of poor people increased during Elizabeth’s reign. Unlike now, there was no welfare system or support for anyone who fell on hard times. Poverty was mostly considered to be your own fault in Elizabethan times - the belief that you had a ‘divinely appointed’ position in society was reinforced every week at church and this attitude was widely held.