p Flashcards
(20 cards)
Describe the importance of trade in Henry VIII’s reign
- Generally the volume of English trade increased<br></br>- Woollen cloth exports almost doubled<br></br>- However, wine imports increased, suggesting that the spending power of the wealthy was increasing<br></br>- The leading route was from London to Antwerp. This had a negative impact on other ports, like Bristol, who found it difficult to compete<br></br>- Expensive (higher quality) broadcloth continued to be the biggest export, however, cheaper Kersey cloth had increased
What were the 3 most important trade routes?
- Southampton -> Venice<br></br>- Boston -> Lynn -> Yarmouth -> Antwerp<br></br>- London -> Antwerp -> Frankfurt -> Nuremburg
How were profits from trade spread?
- The profits did not always reach English pockets<br></br>- From the 1550s, 70% of the merchants were English, however, before there were many more Europeans<br></br>- The cloth trade grew in the first half of the 16th century, although it is difficult to determine by how much
How did many people work on a domestic basis?
- Children carded wool<br></br>- Women span the wool<br></br>- Men weaved the wool into cloth<br></br>- Cloth was then passed to specialists who would dye the cloth
Where were the biggest areas of cloth production in Henry VIII’s reign?
- The West Riding of Yorkshire<br></br>- East Anglia<br></br>- The West Country (including Wiltshire)
Who in particular made serious profits from cloth production?
- William Stumpe, the MP for Malmesbury and High Sheriff of Wiltshire<br></br>- He benefitted from the dissolution of the monasteries, acquiring the land and building Abbey House<br></br>- Stumpe’s money was generated through being a leading Wiltshire clothier
Where were the other areas of production of other types?
- Growth in mining - tin in Cornwall, lead in the Pennines and coal in North East England<br></br>- Newcastle became a port of significance exporting and transporting coal<br></br>- In Sussex and Kent, there were 26 blast furnaces producing iron by 1550
What was exploration like in Henry VIII’s reign?
- Henry was uninterested in it - he made no attempt to build on the achievements of Sebastian Cabot and the Bristol merchants<br></br>- Robert Thorne, a Bristol trader, continued his involvement in an Iceland and Newfoundland fishery, but other merchants that showed an interest in further exploration were unable to win royal support<br></br>- Sebastian Cabot remained in Spain for most of Henry’s reign apart from 2 short visits to England, and only returned after Edward VI took the throne<br></br>- He was assisted in his map making activities by Robert Thorne’s son who bore the same name as his father
How did trade in Henry VII’s reign compare to that in Henry VIII’s reign?
Henry VII:<br></br>- Cloth trade = 90% value of English exports<br></br>- Increase of 60% in volume of cloth exports<br></br>- Raw wool shipped from Boston, Lynn and Yarmouth and exported through Calais by Merchants of the Staple<br></br>- Finished cloth dominated trade<br></br>- Development of weaving - domestic - fulling and dyeing<br></br>- Increasing amount of finished cloth exported from London by Merchant Adventurers to Antwerp<br></br>- Mining small scale<br></br><br></br>Henry VIII:<br></br>- Woollen production still domestic but more developed<br></br>- Mining more industrial - North East England<br></br>- Antwerp still significant
How did exploration in Henry VII’s reign compare to that in Henry VIII’s reign?
Henry VII:<br></br>- Time of exploration (Spain, Portugal)<br></br>- Instructed John Cabot to explore - Newfoundland<br></br><br></br>Henry VIII:<br></br>- No interest
What positives does John Guy believe existed in development in Henry VIII’s reign?
- “enhanced level of demand that stimulated the development of capitalist agriculture and a more commercialised industrial economy”<br></br>- “we can take a relatively optimistic view of the period for one overriding reason: Tudor England managed to feed itself”
What negatives does John Guy believe existed in development in Henry VIII’s reign?
- “sustained population pressure”<br></br>- “inflation, speculation in land and foodstuffs, unemployment, poverty, vagrancy and urban squalor were the inevitable consequences of the sudden rise in population. The power of the State was negligible when faced with demographic, economic and social changes”<br></br>- “some regional crises apart”
What is enclosure?
The legal process in England of consolidating (enclosing) small landholdings into larger forms. Once enclosed, use of the land became restricted to the owner and it ceased to become common land for common use
What was the impact of enclosure in Henry VIII’s reign?
- Under Henry, enclosure was beginning to create a moral problem as poorer people were being forced off the land<br></br>- There was no grasp of the problem until 1517 when Wolsey launched a commission into the issue <br></br>- The commission found 188 cases of illegal enclosure by local richer landowners (most in the East Midlands), and most enclosure was for sheep pasture, and therefore profits from wool, but poorer people had relied on this land to grow crops<br></br>- An Act was passed in 1534 to limit sheep ownership, but with little effect
Describe prosperity and depression in Henry VIII’s reign
- Rise in population resulted in prosperity for some<br></br>- There were regular periods of depression
What were the positives of the rise in population?
- A decline in the mortality rate<br></br>- Wealthier farmers and landowners benefitted
What were the negatives of the rise in population?
- Put considerable strain on food supply - difficult to meet rising demand<br></br>- Wages stagnating and cheap labour plentiful<br></br>- Society became more polarised and traditional ideas of good lordship and social responsibility meant that the rich got richer and the poor got poorer
What were the positives of changes in agriculture?
- Increase in farming incomes - enhanced by the practice of engrossing (joining 2+ farms together)<br></br>- John Guy says “agricultural improvement promoted economic growth”<br></br>- Increased income meant changes to benefit agriculture - enclosure - increased farm size<br></br>- New agricultural techniques - rotation of crops<br></br>- Breeding of superior cattle and sheep
What were the negatives of changes in agriculture?
- Bad harvests in 1520-21 and 1527-29 meant increased food prices<br></br>- Enclosure and engrossing led to the poor being forced to leave their homes<br></br>- People were enclosing illegally
What were the negatives of living standards?
- Debasement came at a long term cost to living standards<br></br>- Increased food prices due to bad harvests, causing problems in particular for urban workers<br></br>- Wages began to decline for many<br></br>- Assessment for subsidies indicated considerable urban poverty<br></br>- Growing unemployment of rural labourers, e.g. weaving or mining<br></br>- People made homeless by engrossing
