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John Ivie – a plague of reforms |
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Radical proposals
In the early 1620's, Ivie and his philanthropic friends, City Recorder Henry Sherfield and Councillor Matthew Bee embarked on a three-pronged attack on the causes of the poverty being experienced in Salisbury. Ivie, took the forthright stance of striding the streets in his official robes of office as a symbol of resilience, in the hope that it would be seen as a measure of support for the citizen's plight. He coerced the few remaining healthy citizens to raise money for the poor.
Their plans, driven by their Puritan faith were based on disciplining the poor and eradicating the sin of idleness to achieve a true and real reformation in the city. Not all of the plans came to fruition. 
John Speed's plan of Salisbury on his Wiltshire map of 1610
© Courtesy of John Chandler |
Ivie had one that would have seen the River Avon navigable through to Salisbury to have been paid for by all those who had business with or smoked tobacco, but this was not supported in Parliament, and was discarded.
The three proposals that were implemented had a radical effect on Salisbury for some 20 years. But they were not without profound political divisions in the governing classes.
Changes in the systems of relief for the poor were established between 1623 and 1628. These became an important part of the survival of the city through the 1627 plague. They involved fundamental changes to the workhouse, establishing a municipally owned brewery and storehouse.
The workhouse in St Thomas's churchyard was enlarged, and became a place where the poor were taught a trade, with Matthew Bee as one of the governors and Ivie as Master of Works. The brewery was run by the workhouse authorities and the profits from the controlled sales were intended to set the poor to work in the city.
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