This volume investigates the socio-economic conditions and legal frameworks governing the marginalized populations of 16th-century England. Authors Mary and Peter Speed utilize a combination of primary source documents and historical analysis to examine how the Elizabethan state categorized and managed those deemed 'poor' or 'wicked.' The text argues that the era's social stability was maintained through a rigid system of surveillance and punitive legislation that reflected the anxieties of the ruling class.

Historians and educators frequently cite this series as a useful resource for students seeking primary source material on the social realities of the Tudor period. The prose is noted for its accessibility, making it a practical entry point for those researching the intersection of poverty and law in early modern England.