This topic shows how society organized care and support for disabled people before the modern era began. Most people with disabilities lived with relatives, or were cared for by monasteries and convents when family support was not possible. One of the first hospitals associated with the care of people with mental illness, St Mary of Bethlehem, was founded in London in 1247. Later, the Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601 required English parishes to support the so called impotent poor, including people with disabilities, through local welfare systems.