Society - Structure of Society

Question 1

How were women viewed within the Stuart period?

Answer 1

• Devious, irrational
• A threat to the good nature of society
• Unmarried women were treated with suspicion, more likely to be accused of witchcraft

Question 2

What happened after 1642?

Answer 2

During the civil war, women took over the roles of men who went away to fight

Mary Banks commanded a detachment of troops in defense of Corfe Castle

Lucy Hutchinson managed her husband’s estate

Question 3

What did Puritans believe about women?

Answer 3

Wanted a religious structure where the family was at the heart of worship which would require women to be educated

Question 4

What did Elizabeth and Katherine Chidley do in 1649?

Answer 4

Elizabeth’s husband - Leveller leader, John Lilburne was arrested and they organised a petition for his release, signed by 10,000

Presented petition to Parliament arguing that women were made in the image of God and should have the same freedom as men

Question 5

What law came into force in 1650? and what did it mean

Answer 5

Adultery act - men and women could both be sentenced to death for infidelity, though it was mostly used against women

Question 6

What were the limitations of the adultery act?

Answer 6

As society was fundamentally patriarchal, men’s sexual misdemeanours were still viewed as less of an offence - so the act was used mostly against women

Devon - men made up 10% of the 255 charged between 1650-1660

Middlesex - 24 women and 12 men were tried in the 1650s

Question 7

What was the Marriage Act of 1653

Answer 7

Passed by the barebones parliament, allowed civil marriages to take place and they had to been overseen by JP’s

Question 8

What did the Quakers believe about women?

Answer 8

God’s light is in every person meaning men and women had the right to speak up in Church, preach and give their opinions

Question 9

Limitations of the 1653 marriage act

Answer 9

It was largely ignored as it meant men would not have as much control over their wives as - Church marriages gave them more power

Question 10

legal framework, influential, opportunities

How did the changing position of women impact society?

Answer 10

• Emergence of legal framework in favour of equality between men and women
• Women were becoming more influential and challenging patriarchal society
• Advocacy for equal opportunities and control over their lives

Question 11

How many merchants were trading in 1688 compared to 1580?

Answer 11

64,000 were trading in 1688 which had increased by at least 30,000 since 1580

Question 12

What did increased urbanisation mean?

Answer 12

An extremely wealthy class of merchants developed

Question 13

What towns grew to become the centre of international trade?

Answer 13

Liverpool and Bristol

Question 14

Why were some members of the merchant class able to become as wealthy as the nobility?

Answer 14

Overseas trade helped the class to grow - navigation acts of 1651 and 1660 which meant that

some were as rich as the nobility and purchased earldoms to ensure their family’s future as part of the aristocracy

Question 15

standard of living, politics, consumer boom, social mobility

How did the growth of the merchant class impact society?

Answer 15

• Increased wealth, increased standard of living
• Changes to the political landscape
• London experienced a consumer boom after 1650 resulting in improved trading conditions
• Greater social mobility - more opportunities to earn money

Question 16

How did the growth of the merchant class transform society?

Answer 16

• Success of the merchant class allowed for greater social mobility
• Individuals could move through the ranks through their entreprenurial skills
• Growth of economic power, gained greater political influence

Question 17

How did the nobility continue to have generational wealth?

Answer 17

They had a high status as many had land and property that had been in their families for generations

Question 18

How did the nobility suffer a decrease in power?

Answer 18

Inflation - price of goods increased meaning spending power goes down

Question 19

Proof that the nobility still remained wealthy?

Answer 19

Marquis of Newcastle and Earl of Worcester donated £900,000 and £700,000 respectively to the royalist cause in 1642

Question 20

What happened as the merchant and gentry class grew? - professionals class

Answer 20

• demand for legal services, healthcare, new buildings and education
• leading to a growth in numbers of lawyers, doctors, architects, academics and bankers

Question 21

What do records from Grey’s inn show?

Answer 21

• membership increased
• 120 barristers in 1574
• more than 200 in 1619

Question 22

What did records from the Inner temple show?

Answer 22

• Many were from or related to gentry families
• 90% of the 1,700 students admitted to the Inner Temple of the Inns of Court between 1600-1640 were sons of the nobility and gentry
• 10% were the sons of professionals and merchants​

Question 23

How much did the gentry class increase by?

Answer 23

300% from the tudor period to 1650 - higher than the population growth at the time

Question 24

How did the gentry impact politics?

Answer 24

Dominated political sphere - Wentworth was Earl of Strafford

Led political changes - Pym, Cromwell, Monck

Question 25

How much wealth and land did the gentry own?

Answer 25

• Controlled lots of land & had lots of wealth
• Across the country, half of all wealth and property belonged to the gentry compared to 15% controlled by the Church

Question 26

What were lesser gentry able to become?

Answer 26

• Jps
• Constables
• Judges

Question 27

What could higher gentry become?

Answer 27

Members of parliament