The beginnings of the workhouse go back to the Poor Law Act of 1388. This was designed to help solve a shortage of workers after the Black Death. It made it difficult for them to move about the country, and stopped them from looking for higher paid work somewhere else. This led to the state being responsible for the welfare of the poor. After the Napoleonic Wars there was a lot of unemployment. There was also unemployment caused by machines taking over work from farm workers. In the 1830s' there was also a series of bad harvests. These things put too much pressure on the existing ways of looking after poor people. 