economic development Flashcards
(88 cards)
What was the population of England at the beginning of the fifteenth century?
Around 2.2 million.
Where did the majority of people in England live during the fifteenth century?
In the countryside, relying on farming for a living.
What percentage of the population were urban dwellers?
10 percent.
What was the population of London during the fifteenth century?
Probably exceeded 50,000.
How many towns in England had populations of at least 3,000?
Probably no more than 20 towns.
Which provincial town had a population exceeding 10,000?
Norwich.
What were the populations of Bristol, York, and Coventry?
In the range of 8,000 to 10,000.
What were the main industries in urban areas during the fifteenth century?
Wool and cloth.
What other industries existed in urban areas?
Mining tin, lead, and coal; metal working; leatherwork; shipbuilding; and papermaking.
What was Henry VII’s approach to economic policy?
He had no specific economic policy as a modern leader would.
What influenced the Acts of Parliament related to economic matters?
The private lobbying of merchants with vested interests.
How did the Black Death affect income from land?
Income from land had declined in the aftermath.
Was there a recovery in land income during the 1480s and 1490s?
Yes, as the population began to increase again.
What farming trend was observed in the 1480s and 1490s?
A greater move towards sheep farming.
What caused the shift towards sheep farming?
The depressed profitability of arable farming and increased demand for wool.
What is mixed farming?
A system of farming which involves the growing of crops as well as the raising of animals as livestock.
What is pastoral farming?
Farming involving the rearing of animals - either for animal by-products such as milk, eggs or wool, or for meat.
What are common rights?
The legal right of tenants to use common land, for example for keeping animals; the exact nature of these rights varied from place to place.
How was England divided in terms of agriculture?
Into a lowland zone to the south and east and a highland zone to the north and west.
What type of farming predominated in the lowland zone?
Mixed farming was the most common form of farming found in the lowland zone.
What type of farming predominated in woodland areas?
Pastoral farming predominated in woodland areas.
What was the traditional manorial system of open-field husbandry?
A form of landholding which predominated in most of lowland England, where tenants farmed strips of land in open fields and enjoyed common rights.
What pressure did the manorial system face in the sixteenth century?
It came under increasing pressure by enclosure in some parts of the country.
What was the impact of the wool and cloth trades on sheep farming?
The wool and cloth trades made sheep farming relatively more profitable, but peasants lost access to land and common rights, often becoming destitute.