State control and popular resistance 1509-88

Question 1

Under a Parliamentary Act of 1543, Which reorganised the Welsh legal system still further after Cromwell’s act of union, the marcher Council were given specific powers for the first time, strengthened because they now rested on the authority of the king and parliament, not solely the Royal prerogative. what did these powers include?

Answer 1

the right to hear legal cases in a manner similar to the English star chamber and to oversee law and order in both Wales and the former Marcher counties. By Elizabeth’s reign, the council had adapted further to include the Lord Lieutenant.

Question 2

Tudor monarchs had no standing army or police force to help them control their realm. What did this therefore mean?

Answer 2

They were reliant of standing members of the nobility and gentry to act in voluntary and often unpaid roles to enforce local order and keep control.

Question 3

In which year was the Lincolnshire rising, pilgrimage of Grace and Act of Union?

Answer 3

1536

Question 4

Which poor law had been in place since 1531?

Answer 4

The Law passed in 1495 which ordered that beggars and the idle poor were to be whipped, put in the stocks for three days and returned to their parish. In this period, poor relief was still based on voluntary contributions by wealthier parishioners to the church Alms fund.

Question 5

Normally the system of local order worked well because members of landed society had a vested interest in maintaining social order-they had the most to lose if riots or rebellions broke out. However, because this system was so dependant on the cooperation of those with land and power locally, Tudor monarchs faced two big problems, what were they?

Answer 5

If popular rebellion did break out, it was very difficult to put down, Particularly in more remote parts of the country where communication was poor. Secondly, there was always the possibility that members of the landed society might join the rebellion rather than support the monarch.

Question 6

How did the Statute of Artificers ( 1563) attempt to address some of the issues caused by vagrancy?

Answer 6

it ordered that all men aged 12-60 below the rank of gentleman should look for work and were not to leave their employment without permission. All unmarried people under 30 were to be forced to serve any employer at times of harvest, but they were also to be trained in a craft.

Question 7

Under Elizabeth, what did the council of the north become responsible for?

Answer 7

combatting recusancy

Question 8

What was the result of the development of Lord Lieutenants?

Answer 8

An improved system of military organisation, with better records, recruitment and communication. However, the system was to come under increasing strain in the 1590s as the war with spain continued.

Question 9

Who usually were the Lord Lieutenants?

Answer 9

Usually, either the most powerful nobleman living in the region or a member of the Privy council who had estates locally. Often these were one and the same.

Question 10

Before 1525, Henry relied on the powerful regional nobility to help him control the North by acting as wardens, The key families were the Dacres, the Cliffords, the Percy Earls of Northumberland and the Neville Earls of Westmorland. Why could they not be relied on to keep the peace.

Answer 10

Because the families were in complex feuds with each other. However, as long as there remained the Threat of invasion from Scotland, these men were needed to provide the first line of defence.

Question 11

By Elizabeth’s reign, both the amount of business conducted by the JPs and the size of the county benches deeded to conduct said business had increased. members of the local gentry had realised that becoming a JBP was the key to social advancement. What did Cecil have to do as a result of this?

Answer 11

He had to keep an increasingly close eye on the membership of the benches, but he was reliant on the reports of royal judges who only visited the counties twice a year. as a result , there was an element of corruption , through royal control over the county benches was strengthened through the appointment of leading councillors and Lord Lieutenants to county benches.

Question 12

What was the main cause of poverty in tudor England?

Answer 12

the increase in population beyond a level that could be sustained.

Question 13

By 1603, there were 309 Acts of Parliament that placed responsibility on the Jps. These responsibilities were both their traditional duties from the start of the period and new ones brought about by religious, political and social change. What were some of their newly acquired powers?

Answer 13

The powers to deal with new felonies introduced by the Govt, including riots, property damage, witchcraft and recusancy . They also had to deal with a wide range of minor offences such as crop damage, swearing, drunkenness, and abduction of heiresses. In addition, they were responsible for the administration of the Tudor poor laws

Question 14

Why did tudor Authorities tend to use punishment to try and control vagrancy?

Answer 14

Because it was assumed that there were jobs available but the unemployed were too lazy to work.

Question 15

Ẁhy, as population grew did prices rise?

Answer 15

Because of the basic economic principle of supply and demand. As the population increased, more pressure was placed on resources, particularly food. The more demand there was, the more farmers and merchants could charge for their goods.

Question 16

In the North, the threat of invasion and the border with Scotland were so large that the Northern Marches did what?

Answer 16

Split into three: the Western middle and Eastern Marches. they were controlled by wardens who were responsible for their defence and keeping order.

Question 17

Given responsibility to oversee the war effort of a specific county, Lord Lieutenants had far-reaching powers. What were they ordered to do with these powers?

Answer 17

To arrange the defence of their counties and the muster of all men who were available and eligible to serve in the army, to ensure they were armed and well trained, and enforce discipline.

Question 18

Under the 1572 poor law, how did attitudes toward the able-bodied poor begin to change?

Answer 18

Punishment remained severe: boring a hole through the right ear or whipping for those under 14 Despite this , the government recognised that there was not enough work , so encouraged parishes with the extra poor relief funds to build ‘ houses of correction for vagrants and beggars

Question 19

in 1534, Cromwell began a series of permanent changes to government of Wales. He began by appointing Rowland Lee to act as the Lord President of the council of Wales, allowing him to do what?

Answer 19

He was given Sweeping powers to tackle crime and disorder in the region.

Question 20

Because the Lieutenants were also privy councillors, member of the North and the Marches and senior noblemen, what could they do?

Answer 20

They provided an important link between the regions and central Govt.

Question 21

When was the Amicable Grant protest?

Answer 21

1525

Question 22

When was Wyatt’s Rebellion?

Answer 22

1554

Question 23

In the 1540s, the MArcher council was reorganised to take account of Cromwell’s changes. What did it become?

Answer 23

A more formal body with a president and vice-president who were appointed by the monarch.

Question 24

When did the act for the relief of the poor make JPs responsible for supervising the collection of poor-relief donations?

Answer 24

1563

Question 25

When was the Statute of Artificers?

Answer 25

1563

Question 26

A poor Law was passed in 1531 what did it order?

Answer 26

That Vagrants and beggars were to be whipped, and impotent poor were to be licensed by the JP's and allowed to beg.

Question 27

How did parish funds for poor relief recieve a considerable boost under the Act of Uniformity?

Answer 27

The 12d per week recusancy five was put towards parish poor relief.

Question 28

When did the Statute of Artificers make JPs responsible for fixing local wages?

Answer 28

1563

Question 29

As the Vagrancy Act was so harsh, it was repealed in 1550. What replaced it in 1552?

Answer 29

A new poor law. this Act required the impotent poor to be registered and that parish priests placed more pressure on those reluctant to make voluntary contributions to Alms in the parishes.

Question 30

When were the JPs ordered to enforce the second book of common Prayer?

Answer 30

1552

Question 31

What were the Marches?

Answer 31

A militarised zone where England borders Wales and Scotland

Question 32

As the traditional feudal role of the nobility declined under the tudors, a replacement was needed for their role in providing the monarch with an army. What was this replacement?

Answer 32

The system of Lord lieutenants, which first appeared as an experiment in the late 1540s-50s, becoming a permanent feature if the tudor Govt in 1585 when England went to war with Spain.

Question 33

Controlling the North was a very challenging problem for the tudor monarchs. Why?

Answer 33

Geographically remote with poor communications. it was also under threat of invasion from Scotland.

Question 34

The government of Wales and the Marcher Regions Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire remained out of step with the government of England, thought there was no longer a threat of a hostile Welsh invasion. Although the Crown controlled the Principality of Wales, before 1530's Wales had it's own Legal system, which still depended on the local marcher lords' power and control. What did this mean?

Answer 34

In Wales and its Marcher regions it was still possible to commit a crime in one lordship and then escape justice by fleeing into another one. As a result, the area was hard to control and had a tendency to lawlessness.

Question 35

Until the 1570s how did Tudor laws distinguish between different 'categories' of poverty?

Answer 35

The 'impotent ' poor were to be cared for, but 'able bodied' poor were considered to be 'idle' and 'sturdy beggars' who could work but chose not to.

Question 36

When did Parliament make JPs responsible for listing the poor in each parish?

Answer 36

1572

Question 37

How did the influx of gold and silver from the new world into Europe cause poverty?

Answer 37

It led to price revolution and more inflation.

Question 38

In 1563, how did the Act for the Relief of the Poor show that attitudes towards poverty were changing?

Answer 38

It moved towards making payment to poor relief near-compulsory. Special collectors of alms were appointed to 'gently ask and demand of every man and woman what they of their charity will be contented to give weekly towards the relief of the poor'. refusal to contribute could lead to imprisonment but they could choose how much they would contribute.

Question 39

For those without land or anly just enough land to subsist. the changes caused by population growth were extreme. how did ambitious landlords make the situation worse?

Answer 39

They enclosed the common land on which the poorest in society were reliant, though this problem was not as much of a cause of poverty as contemporaries like Thomas More thought.

Question 40

In 1547, the most severe laws of the period were passed, Which reflected to rising social and economic tensions of the time. Under the Vagrancy Act, a vagrant was defined as someone who was able-bodied and had been without a master or employment for three days, how were they punished?

Answer 40

First offence: a 'V' branded onto their chest, forced to work as a slave for two years to whoever had turned them in, Second offence: a 'S' branded on the face and enslaved for live. third offence: execution as a felon....

Question 41

In 1536, Parliament passed Cromwell's Act of Union, what did this do?

Answer 41

This transformed to Structure of Welsh Government. The Principality of Wales and the Marcher Lordships were abolished and replaced with 13 English- style counties, that used the English Legal system. This meant that the Council could now control Wales and the Marches more easily as they were no longer faced with varying laws and practices.

Question 42

What was Wolsey's unsuccessful attempt to strengthen royal control in the Marcher regions?

Answer 42

by creating a Council of the Marches with the Nine-year-old princess Mary acting as a figurehead. In doing so, Wolsey was following the precedent created by Henry VII and Edward IV of using prerogative rights to create councils to govern remote areas, but his experiment failed.

Question 43

What did the possible threat of rebellion and social disorder mean that tudor Monarch's did?

Answer 43

They developed various systems to control the more remote parts of England and Wales and enhance royal power there. it also meant that they needed to find ways to deal with problems caused by social and economic tensions.

Question 44

Why did many Tudor laws concerning vagrancy and the poor involve making vagrants return to their own parishes to seek help, where they would be known to the local authorities ?

Answer 44

Because those wandering were treated with suspicion; this practice made it harder to control the population, particularly in times of political and social unrest.

Question 45

Why did population growth lead to declining wages?

Answer 45

With more young people entering the job market, there was more competition for work; employer did not need to pay high wages to attract workers.

Question 46

By the early 1500s, why had the Welsh Marches' role had changed. Why so?

Answer 46

Because Wales had been conquered by England in the 1290s and so there was no longer a threat of a hostile Welsh invasion.

Question 47

In England, how was inflation made even worse?

Answer 47

By the Govt's debasement of coinage between 1542-51. More money in circulation meant merchants charged more, as it's face value decreased.

Question 48

What had happened to the role of JPs by the 1580s?

Answer 48

Their role in administering Tudor law and controlling the regions had expanded enormously. Through them, the power and control of the crown expanded as well.

Question 49

Why may the dissolution of the monasteries have exacerbated the spread of poverty?

Answer 49

Because they were a traditional source of support and XX for the poor.

Question 50

In the Middle Ages, the Marcher regions had developed their own laws and customs because they were the first line of defence against hostile invasion. What did this mean for the nobles who controlled these areas?

Answer 50

they gained enormous legal and military power and were quasi-kings in their dominance of the marcher regions

Question 51

Describe the population growth in the Tudor period

Answer 51

in 1525, it was C2.26 Million; bt 1551 it was C3.01 million and by 1594 it was C3.89 million.

Question 52

After Cromwell we modelled the Council of the door in 1537, it became the voice of the government in London, responsible for passing on and enforcing all Royal proclamations and order made to sheriffs and JPs. What did this include?

Answer 52

It's oversaw food supplies, regulated trade, organised local musters the military campaigns, and heard private cases between individuals

Question 53

Under Elizabeth, what did the council of the north become responsible for?

Answer 53

Combating recusancy

Question 54

Although the president and vice president of the council of the north played leading roles in putting down the 1569 Revolt, what did it lead to?

Answer 54

The council being restructured in order to strengthen Elizabeth power

Question 55

in 1572, the puritan Henry Hastings, Earl of Huntingdon, was made President of the Council of the north. Though a complete outsider with no lands or power in the north why was he not at a disadvantage?

Answer 55

Because he had the support of his cousin Elizabeth I and the privy council. Huntingdon remained in his post until 1595

Question 56

What did Henry Hastings, Earl of Huntingdon do while he was President of the Council of the north?

Answer 56

Ihe enforced a rigorous crackdown on Recusancy that not only included the punishment of Catholics but also the appointment of Protestant preachers to spread the religious settlement approved by the government.

Question 57

What was the result of Huntington's changes to the north?

Answer 57

It became much more stable and had no further rebellion. The power of the monarchy grew through the council as the power to traditional northern nobles Waned

Question 58

In 1525, Wolsey decided that the north needed to be brought under stricter control. What did he do?

Answer 58

He re-established the Council of the North, which had first been used in the late 15th century. The marcher council, the Council of the north had both been a legal and an administrative role and worked alongside the wardens to promote the authority of the Tudor monarchs

Question 59

Why were the councillors at the council at the north given further power and knowledge of the region under their control?

Answer 59

Because they were also pointed is JPs; as a result, the Council of the North developed as a body that could oversee the administration of the North, control borders reivers (raiders) and manage local order to hearing court cases as a northern version of Star chamber

Question 60

The Existence of the Council of the north was not enough to prevent the most serious uprising of the Tudor period. As a result of this, the pilgrimage of grace, Cromwell remodelled the council in 1537. What changed?

Answer 60

It was given the wide powers to hear and decide cases of treason, murder and felony. The council took a leading role in the denouncing those who had been involved in the rebellion

Question 61

why was the Authority of the Council of the North enhanced?

Answer 61

Because the president was either a bishop or a member of the nobility who often came from the south or the Midlands. This meant that they had no vested interest in the decisions they were making

Question 62

In assessing the level of threat posed by Tudor rebellions it is important to consider which five factors?

Answer 62

Numbers, geographical extent, the role of local gentry/nobility, rebels demands and the ability of the government to respond to the threat.

Question 63

What had the first ever large scale peasants revolt in 1381 been against? Against unpopular methods of taxation and that had

Answer 63

Against unpopular methods of taxation and that had created a precedent for popular protest

Question 64

What was that the root of the most popular protest seen in the period 1509 to 25?

Answer 64

The high levels of taxation

Question 65

In 1513, Henry VIII demanded a particularly high level of taxation, which led to a passive resistance in Yorkshire. Research has shown that money raised from taxation of the West riding of Yorkshire that should have been paid in the summer of 1513 was not actually paid until 1515; The king was forced to remit several payments from the area what is significant about this?

Answer 65

This cancellation created a precedent for the future -after some communities have received the cancellation of the taxation once, they would expect it again, and the government would struggle to reinstate its demands.

Question 66

In 1523, Henry VIII wanted to fund another foreign campaign, but by then the country had been drained of money. How did Wolsey first try to raise money for this?

Answer 66

Though parliament would not agree to his demands for £800,000, that they did agree to a subsidy to be collected over four years Richard raised under £137,000 by 1525, which is not enough for Henry's needs

Question 67

After a failed demand to Parliament | For £800,000 to fund a Foreign campaign for Henry the eighth in 1523 what did Wolsey turn to instead in 1525?

Answer 67

The amicable Grant, a less legal and more experimental method

Question 68

Despite its name, the amicable Grant was actually a forced loan known as a benevolence what was the issue here?

Answer 68

They had been declared illegal in 1483

Question 69

How did Wolsey compound the problem with the amicable Grant?

Answer 69

He ordered local commissioners to collect most of the money in a three month period between March and June 1525 this was a very short time which put pressure on local communities who had also been paying the second instalment of the 1523 subsidy.

Question 70

What was the first result of the financial pressure caused by the amicable Grant?

Answer 70

Passive resistance across wide areas of the country; widespread non-payment and resistance.

Question 71

More serious than the passive president across why areas of the country was that large groups began to gather in protest against the amicable Grant though most were passive. Which was the most famous of these?

Answer 71

A gathering of around 4000 in Lavenham , Suffolk. This was particularly dangerous because such a large gathering would have been hard to control or disperse and represented a direct challenge to the Royal body

Question 72

How was the protest over the amicable Grant successful?

Answer 72

Wolsey was forced to give up the idea – The threat of the large gathering in Lavenham was enough.

Question 73

What was the end result of the protest against the amicable Grant in 1525?

Answer 73

Henry had to abandon his plans to go to war instead had to pursue a peace policy.

Question 74

Significantly, what does the protest over the amicable Grant show?

Answer 74

That the Tudor Monarchs were not able to raise money via non-Parliamentary methods.

Question 75

Although later Tudor revolts were not focused on the issue of taxation in the same way, how did the still contribute to the pilgrimage of grace in 1536?

Answer 75

That the man's included economic grievances and concerns over taxation.

Question 76

What triggered the Lincolnshire rising in 1536?

Answer 76

The pressure of three government commissioners in the region overseeing the dissolution of the smaller monasteries , the collection of the 1534 subsidy and assessing the standard of education among the clergy. Such a high level of government intervention focused on one region was bound to cause tension and rumours.

Question 77

What was the spark for the Lincolnshire rebellion?

Answer 77

The arrival of the Bishop of Lincoln is official at Louth on 2 October to carry out the visitation of the clergy. The official was seized by the guards and made to swear an oath of loyalty to them. His papers were burnt in an act of defiance against government intervention.

Question 78

After The seizing of the official which sparked the Lincoln Shire rebellion, what did the men of Louth then do to show their anger?

Answer 78

They marched to the nearby Legbourne nunnery and captured the commissioners who were there to dissolve it. The following day, tensions increased as the government officials tried to continue. The result was 3000 meeting at Louth and the playing of the government commissioners

Question 79

What does the petition drawn up by the Lincolnshire rebels on 9 October 1536 make clear?

Answer 79

Their main grievances were over the dissolution of the monasteries, the 'evil counsel' that Henry was receiving from men 'low birth' such as Cromwell and Chancellor

Question 80

The role of the justice of the peace (JP's) at first emerged in the 1300s and they had been gathering increasing power and influence locally ever since. JPs were appointed for each county and the power so were wide ranging by the start of the Tudor period. give examples.

Answer 80

They could hear and decide cases a felony and trespass; they could arrest potential suspects; they supervise the regulation of weight and measures and the fixing prices and wages

Question 81

How were JP is selected?

Answer 81

They were usually drawn from those with the most local status. If that's the only land with an income at least £20 per year someone appointed due to being lawyers.

Question 82

Appointment as a JP would usually be for life. Sometimes, however, the government would remove a JP from the county bench why was this, usually?

Answer 82

Because the JP was suspected of not following government orders or misusing his position to increase his local power

Question 83

Give an example of Wolsey being particularly keen to improve local justice and the quality of JPs

Answer 83

In 1526 he summoned JPs to hear a speech and then fill-in a 21 section questionnaire on law and order in their regions

Question 84

What were the JPs order to do in 1549?

Answer 84

Take inventories of parish goods and prosecute anyone found to have stolen from them

Question 85

In some ways, the role of the nobility did not change greatly during the Tudor period; they remained important as a link between the centre and the localities. How, however, that the basis of the power change?

Answer 85

Increasingly, The nobility drew their power from access to the monarchs at court. The Tudor monarchs began to recruit their own personal followers through grants of local office such as J peas. As a result of this change in relationship, the power of that ability increasingly rested on their ability to gain grants of land and office for themselves and for their followers.

Question 86

Why were the nobility important to the Tudor Monarchs?

Answer 86

The rank and social status of a member of the nobility meant that they could command respect locally. Their links with court and the monarchy were important in passing useful local information to the monarch through the council or chamber. In times of crisis this information could be vital. They also acted as the XXX

Question 87

How was it that's the nobility could be the root of trouble and local disorder? (This is why the Tudor monarchs try to control them more closely)

Answer 87

Wyatt's rebellion and the revolt of the northern Earls both had their roots in the court based plots involving members of the nobility, and there was noble involvement in the pilgrimage of grace.

Question 88

The setting up of the Council of the marches and the North caused the decline in the power of the marcher loads. However who were they replaced by?

Answer 88

A new breed of nobility such as on Robert Dudley, William Cecil and Henry Hastings (earl of Huntingdon)

Question 89

Why did the government not need to person more poor laws in the 1570s-80s?

Answer 89

Because this was a period of relative economic stability, with few bad harvests.

Question 90

What was the system for poor relief like by 1588?

Answer 90

By 1588, although vagrants and beggars were still forced into houses that aim to 'correct' their behaviour, tutor government had moved some way towards supporting the poor and away from punishing them for laziness

Question 91

Before the Reformation, most of the charitable giving that occurred was via the catholic church. What was the problem with the fact that the wealthier in society would leave money in their wills to found almshouses?

Answer 91

As the pre-Reformation almshouses often included a chapel, they were counted as charities, which meant they were lost when the charities were dissolved in 1547

Question 92

After the Reformation, where did charitable donations go?

Answer 92

Directly to poor relief in the parish is where they were administered by local churches

Question 93

Other than the poor, who did charitable donations help?

Answer 93

Those who wish to set themselves up in business, and education for the children of the Poor.

Question 94

Why did voluntary scheme is for Poor relief tend to develop first in town?

Answer 94

Because that was where the problem Paul relief was felt most acutely.

Question 95

The divide between the poor and the rich was particularly extreme in London; it was estimated that 5% of the total population of the town owned 80% of its wealth. London's rapid population growth led to severe poverty; the London authority were forced act . How?

Answer 95

In 1547,London introduce compulsory poor rates

Question 96

Practical help for the poor was enhanced by cooperation with the Monarch. Why and how did Edward VI encourage and help this process?

Answer 96

He encouraged it because he was concerned about the provision for the poor following the Reformation. Inspired by a sermon by Bishop of London Nicholas Ridley, who preached that the Poor should be shown mercy. Edward arranged for the grant of several Crown properties to a group of London merchants for the specific person purpose of setting up help for the poor.

Question 97

Why was any popular rebellion that got out of hand threat to any monarch of the Tudor period?

Answer 97

If the local gentry and nobility who were the first line of defence were overwhelmed, it was very hard for the local authorities to deal with revolts. Although untrained the sheer number of people involved in Tudor rebellions was often larger than the mustered forces of local land owners or even the government. Even when the rebel protest were peaceful, stopping them posed serious difficulties for the Tudor model.