Theme 3 - Social And Intellectual Challenge - 1625-88 Flashcards
(4 cards)
Why did the population of Britain increase in the years 1625-88 and what impact did this have ?
. 1520 - 1680 - the population doubled, rising from 2.5 million to just over 5 million.
. London became the largest city in Western Europe.
. During the civil war, England lost 3% of the population, leading to slower growth.
. Migration:
. Migration of Dutch skilled weavers, and other foreign immigrants following religious toleration in 1651.
. Migration within Britain from rural areas to growing towns to find work and escape growing poverty - job security led to more children being born - rural Englishmen became apprentices to skilled Dutch weavers.
. The population had also become more adept at dealing with disease outbreaks after incidents such as the Great Plague in 1348. This led to a sustained population.
. Disease also led to higher fertility rates - the younger son would inherit wealth and be able to marry at a young age. This would result in the north of many children.
. Growth of London:
. Also impacted the rural economy due to growing demand of an ever increasing London population. 400 % more grain was required between 1600-80.
. Job security provided by London leading to more children.
. London was at the heart of trade in England and a booming economical power.
. Growth of other towns and cities:
. Growth of cities with ports and industrial cities due to a growth in trade.
. This creates jobs leading to migration within England.
. Norwich was the most populous town outside of London, and the heart of the East Anglia Cloth Industry.
. The towns welcomed a large number of foreign migrants, leading to population growth.
. Increase in poverty:
. With the growth of towns and cities, also came a growth in the number of people classed as vagrants.
. The cloth trade moved to rural areas after 1600 to avoid tax and regulations imposed through cities and towns.
. With an increase in qualified apprentices, many who hadn’t gained an apprenticeship were beaten to jobs by qualified apprentices.
. Inflation meant that some farmers could no longer afford to invest in their land and were forced to sell it to rich nobles who established large one crop farms to meet an increasing food demand.
. Many farmers became vagrants.
. In the early Stuart Period, the population experienced growth, but rising prices and falling wages.
. Price inflation outstripped wages 2 to in the first half of the century, rising 4% annually.
. Many contemporary writers at the time estimate that as much as half of the population fell into the poor category, though taxation records from the 1670’s suggest that this may be an exaggeration and realistically 1/3rd of the population were classed as poor.
. Increased enclosure of land also contributed to the growth in poverty, with farmers having less space to graze animals, impacting their income.
. The settled poor remained within a parish whereas the vagrant poor travelled between parishes to sustain themselves.
. Many took up work as servants, as this provided them with refuge, clothing and food.
What impact did the Poor Laws have on Beggars and Vagrants ?
. The ‘Original’, or ‘Old Poor Laws’ were culminated under the Tudors in Elizabeth’s Poor Relief Act of 1601, and provided a basis for the treatment of the poor until 1662, an example being the relief of those unable to work through disability.
. Overseers were appointed in each parish and decided who qualified for relief.
. The poor could be sent to a poorhouse.
. Begging was only legal within one’s own parish and to receive food.
. This was supported by Charles’ policy of Thorough the Book of Orders, providing provisions to all JPs on how to enforce the Poor Laws.
. This was mainly motivated through Charles’ fear of rioting, with the poor being seen as more of an inconvenience than actual people with needs.
. People forced to pay the poor tax in local parishes shared this view.
. In 1650, state relief stood at £188,000 nationally, compared to £30,000 in 1614.
. The Settlement Act passed during the economic depression after Cromwell’s death in 1662, reduced the mobility of vagrants claiming poor relief, with wealthy parishes claiming that vagrants were squatting in their land and claiming poor relief.
. This required vagrants to present a ‘settlement certificate’ or be arrested and expelled back to their original parish.
. This Act was abused by Parish officials, who used it to arrest vagrants and beggars and expel newcomers.
. The owners of large estates could demolish empty houses on their land, preventing those who had been expelled through not providing a settlement certificate.
. These land owners could hire servants from other parishes, meaning they did not have to pay poor relief when they were expelled from their position.
In what ways did the structure of society change in the years 1625-88 ?
. The Nobility:
. Made up only 2% if the population along with the gentry.
. High levels of spending and inflation led to the decline in the significance of the nobility.
. The Marquis of Newcastle was in the position to donate £900,000 to the royalist cause in 1642.
. The Gentry:
. Included Oliver Cromwell, John Pym, George Monck and other influential Politicians.
. The Civil War gave rise to the significance of the gentry, at the head of the Royalist of Parliamentarian causes.
. After personal rule, Charles had no other option than to turn to the gentry in order to fight the Scots.
. After the Civil War, gentry senior officers becoming high influence figures of the republic, at the head of the country.
. The number of gentry increased by 300% from the early Tudor period to the mid 17th century.
. The Gentry dominated politics and made up the king’s advisers e.g - Wentworth.
. Half of all wealth and property belonged to the gentry.
. However the growth of influence of the gentry could be viewed as due to the decline of the nobility.
. The growth of the Professionals and Merchants:
. Due to growing urbanisation and trade, the merchant and professional classes saw a rapid increase in population.
. In 1688, 64,000 merchants were involved in trade.
. Although they were looked down upon by the elites, some merchants and professionals married into gentry families.
. Some merchants accumulated more wealth than the gentry or nobility and held significant positions of power within towns e.g - mayor.
. This accumulation of wealth allowed for merchants to receive knighthoods and buy their way into the gentry.
. This was supported by the consumer boom after 1650 experienced in London, leading to improved trading conditions.
. The professional class grew due to an increased demand for healthcare, education and legal services due to a rise in living standards of the merchants and gentry.
. Many professionals were from gentry families, pursuing careers in the legal profession for example, and become independent of their family financially.
. At the Inns of the Court, 90% of students admitted between 1600 and 1640 were sons of the nobility and gentry.
. The Status of Women:
. Women in the 17th century had very few rights, and were legally the property of their husband or father.
. Unmarried women were viewed with suspicion, with many being accused of witchcraft. Though many of these accusations came from disputes amongst neighbours.
. The role of women generally was to run the household and raise the children.
. Women part of agricultural families would carry out physical labour themselves. Whereas women part of nobility families would direct servants.
. The view that women were irrational and a threat to decent society stemmed from the bible, with some priests even proclaiming that women did not have souls.
. Punishments were in place for women accused of being a nuisance or gossiping e.g - a metal brank placed over the head, making it impossible to talk.
. Women accused of witchcraft were hanged in England or burnt at the stake in Scotland.
. In 1642, opportunities came about as part of the civil war. Women took up the roles of men who had gone to fight , though this was more common in nobility households that needed managing.
. Though, after the civil war, some radical women were at the forefront of political events.
. The Puritan government limited the extent of the development of women, with the common Puritan belief that overly educated women were dangerous.
. Though through radical religious groups, women could gain some influence.
. An example being the Quakers, who consisted of a large female population due to their advocating of women having equal rights and a right to education. Women were lead speakers in Quaker meetings.
. When John Lilburne was arrested, his wife Elizabeth, along with other high ranking leveller women, proposed Parliament with a petition containing 10,000 women’s signatures for his release. Though parliament refused.
. The levellers pushed for women to have the vote, seeing women as equal to men under god.
. Various acts such as the Marriage Act of 1653, passed during the republic, provided women with more equal rights. The Marriage Act reduced the extent to which men have ownership over their wife through civil marriage, which it legalised.
What changes came about in the fields of science, philosophy and politics as a result of the civil war ?
. Radical political ideas:
. The civil war and the execution of Charles in 1649 led to the collapse of censorship across England.
. This gave rose to the spreading of radical political ideas such as the belief in millenarianism, held by groups such as the fifth monarchists, who were prepared to overthrow the government in order to make way for Christ.
. The levellers were a prominent radical group with high ranking members such as Colonel Thomas Rainsborough in the army.
. Rainsborough opposed the army grandees at the Putney Debates in 1647, speaking on behalf of the levellers within the army and calling for a new constitution, implementing of the poor within politics, and the abolishment of the House of Lords.
. They were short lived, and crushed by the Rump Parliament, with lead members imprisoned in 1649.
. They called for equality under the law and religious toleration for all religious sects.
. Thomas Hobbes emerged as an influential political philosopher during the interregnum, with his ideas published in his book leviathan. Hobbes demonstrated his belief that before the age of governments there was constant anarchy and war, and that we would return to this state without a strong governing body or leviathan. Therefore his book inspired those in favour of absolute monarchy, but also liberalism, as he stated that individuals could not have personal freedoms or rights outside of a governing body.
. Another influential writer and defender of absolutism was John Locke, with his ideas influencing the decisions of Whigs in parliament and helping to inspire the French and American revolutions. He is seen as the father of empiricism, a belief that knowledge can only result from experience. His ideas were generally accepted as justification for the Glorious Revolution.
. The scientific revolution:
. The emergence of modern day scientific methods and beliefs after 1550, although this peaked in the 17th century.
. The revolution began when Copernicus questioned whether or not earth was at the centre of the universe.
. Other important discoveries include Galileo’s discovery of the four moons of Jupiter.
. Newton was known for his breakthroughs in maths and astronomy. An example being his research into the spectrum of light and the development of the reflective telescope, and most notably, his research into universal gravitation.
. Francis Bacon greatly contributed towards the discovery of the scientific method, believing that scientific discovery involves collecting as much data as possible, a belief in empirical methods to gain scientific results.
. Regular mentions of his scientific method were cited at early meetings of the Royal Society.
. Established in July 1662, the Royal Society acted as a platform for ambitious researchers to pursue and publish scientific research.
. A notable piece of published research through the Royal Society, was William Harvey’s theory of blood circulation.
. The society contributed to the spreading belief across Europe that humans could progress without divine assistance, known as the age of reason that began in the 1650’s.
