Key topic 3

• The marcher council

  • Wales had its own legal system
  • the marcher Regions were prone to lawlessness
  • wolseys council of the marchers failed with princess mary acting as a figurehead
  • 1534 cromwell appointed lee as president of the council of wales to tackle crime and disorder
  • act of union ( 1536 ) replaced the principally of wales and the marcher lordships with 13 English style counties and brought these areas into English legal system
  • 1540 the marcher council was re organised further to have a president and vice president
• The marcher council p2

  • 1543 gave the council similar powers to the star chamber
  • there was little trouble from the reigon after this.
• The council of the north

  • Henry relied on the powerful nobility in the north to act as wardens as a first line of defence in case of an invasion from Scotland ie Percy and Neville family
  • 1525 Wolsey re established the council of the north
  • many of the members were also jps
  • heard court cases as the northern version of the star chamber
• council of the north p2

  • this did not prevent rebellion in 1536 so Cromwell remodelled the council in 1537 to give it powers to hear cases of serious crimes
  • council helped put down the northern revolt of 1569
  • from 1572 - 95 the presidents cracked down on recusancy and the north became much more stable
• The role of nobility in maintaining control

  • nobility were an important link between central and local government
  • their power changed depending in how much access they had to the monarch
  • noblemen were well respected locally
  • they could pass useful local information to the ruler ie - 1525 told about protests about the amicable grant , monarchs relied on Nobility to suppress rebellion
  • nobility could also cause issues - wyatts rebellion and northern rising the council of north and marcher was a result of this
  • the nobility implemented government policies ie religious changes
• The growing power of the justices of the peace

  • Most had 20 and 35 members , Jps were appointed for life but could be removed
  • 1526 Wolsey summoned the jps and carefully checked who was appointed As he required them to enforce the reformation and supremacy
  • under Edward jps got more responsibility ,had to oversee alehouses and religious changes
  • from 1558 Cecil kept a close eye on the membership which had grown in size
  • by the 1580s the role of jps had expanded enormously through them the power and control of the crown expanded
• the lord lieutenant under Elizabeth

  • in the 1540s the system of lord lieutenants replaced the traditional feudal role of nobility to provide the monarch with an army
  • became an permanent feature in 1585 when England went to war with Spain - had to oversee the war effort for each county
  • they were powerful Noblemen with local estates and other local officials had to obey and assist them
  • this system improved military organisation with better records recruitment and communication system came into increasing strain in 1590s
• reasons for poverty growth in England

  • the main cause of poverty was population increase : 2.26 in 1525 , 3.01 in 1551 , 3.89 in 1591 .
  • the result was rising prices and falling wages
  • the increasing population put pressure on resources like food
  • with more demand for food farmers could charge higher prices which led to inflation
  • harvests were effected by bad weather (1519-21 , 1527-29 ,1549-51 , 1554-56)
  • as more people entered the job market there was more competition for work - employers could pay lower wages
  • the cost of living rose peaking in the 1580s
• reasons for poverty growth in England

  • the dissolution of the monasteries removed support and alms for the poor
  • unemployment rose so more people fell into poverty
  • landlords enclosed the common land in which the poorest of society were reliant on
  • they also resorted to rack renting ( rapid rent increases ) and forestalling ( withholding supplies to a market to deliberately push up prices )
• reasons for poverty in England

  • the influx of gold and silver from the new world also led to a price revolution
  • between 1542 and 1551 the governments debasement of coinage led to more money being in circulation therefore increasing inflation as merchants and traders charged more for their goods
  • this made the gap between the rich and the poor widen
• punishment for beggars and vagrants

  • the increase in poverty led to vagrancy and begging
  • the unemployed were viewed as lazy so they tended to get punished
  • laws required them to return to their own parishes to get help
  • they were perceived as a threat to social order
  • Tudor law distinguished between the impotent and able bodied poor
  • as poverty grew punishments became more severe
• punishment for vagrants and beggars - acts

  • 1531 poor law - ordered them to be whipped and the impotent poor were allowed licences from jps to beg
  • 1547 vagrancy act - first offence a v was branded on their chest and made a slave for 2 years , a second offence would result in an s on there face and enslavement for life , the final punishment would be execution
  • this act was too difficult to be enforced and was repealed in 1550
  • 1552 poor law - impotent poor had to be registered , and for parish priests to put pressure on people to make contributions
• Punishment acts continued

  • Acts of uniformity of 1559 put money raised from recusancy fines towards parish relief
  • 1563 - act for the relief of the poor made contributions to poor relief compulsory
  • 1572 - poor law punishment for unlicensed beggars include boring a hole through the right ear with a hot instrument
  • licences were difficult for poor to obtain ( signed by two jps)
  • government recognised there was not enough work houses of correction built and a second poor law 1576 suggested one per county
• The importance of charities and local authorities in the provision of the poor relief

  • the catholic church supported the poor through charity , monks and nuns gave left over food and monasteries had hospitals
  • people left contributions to poor relief in their wills - left money to form alm houses
  • after the reformation donations went straight to poor relief in parishes
  • merchants were particularly charitable - made up 60% of all 16th century charity
  • private contributions rose from 227,00 in 1541-60 to 634,000 in 1601-20
• Importance of poor relief

  • Londons population rose from 60,000 to 200,000 from 1500 - 1600
  • about 5% of the population owned 80% of its total wealth
  • the rapid growth led to poverty so in 1547 compulsory poor rates were introduced
  • Edward vI supported poor relief schemes he arraigned a grant for several crown properties to London merchants to set up houses of correction ie st Bartholomew's for the sick and bedlam for the insane
  • York and norwitch set up compulsary contributions to poor relief in 1549 and 1551
• the significance of resistance to demands for subsidies and taxes

  • opposition to taxation was a common cause of popular revolt
  • Henry needed money to fund his wars in France , parts of the country struggled to meet these demands this lead to passive resistance In Yorkshire and the king had to cancel payments from 19 towns and villages.
  • in 1523 the parliament would not agree to his demands for £800,000
• the significance of resistance to demands for subsidies and taxes

  • wolsey attempted to raise the amicable grant - led to resistance in the south of England and began to protest
  • Wolsey had to abandon the grant and the dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk negotiated had negotiated with the rebels to prevent violence
  • there was no attempts to raise taxation until 1534
• popular risings : the pilgrimage of grace

  • 1536 - was caused by religious political and social / economic issues
  • Robert aske led the 30,000 men
  • they took York and lord darcy surrendered pontefract castle where the rebels produced the 24 articles
  • henry gave the Duke of Norfolk permission to grant a general pardon ending the rebellion
  • sir Francis bigodo rising ( 1537 ) and an attack of Carlisle gave Henry the excuse to executed the rebels
  • 144 were executed
• popular risings : the western rebellion

  • 1549 - Cornwall and Devon rebelled against the new English prayer books and a return to the sis articles also to end the tax on sheep and woollen cloth
  • 2000 rebels besiged Exeter - lord russel put down the 6000 rebels killing 4000
• popular risings : ketts rebellion

  • 1549 — rebels complained about corrupt local officials and illegal enclosures in Norfolk
  • robert kett Set up a commonwealth ( an alternative form of government ) to raise money and collect supplies
  • the rebels were Protestant
  • 16,000 rebels took Norwich
  • troops were sent under the earl of Warwick
  • 3000 rebels were killed and ket was executed
• popular risings : wyatts rebellion

  • 1554 - to oppose Mary’s marriage to Philip of Spain
  • the rising was planned in the west , midlands and Kent
  • the queen discovered the plot but 3000 men still rose under wyatt
  • Mary made a rallying speech at London guildhall
  • wyattt entered London but found ludgate closed
  • the earl of pembroke defeated the rebels
  • Elizabeth was briefly imprisoned in the tower
  • lady jane grey had no involvement but was executed
• Popular risings : the revolt of the northern earls

  • 1569 - earls of Northumberland and Westmorland sympathised with Mary queen of Scots
  • they were annoyed that the positions of the north had been given to Protestant noblemen
  • Elizabeth summoned the earls to court which forced them into rebellion
  • had 3800 soldiers and 1600 horsemen
  • hoped that Philip of Spain would come to help them - he did not
  • as a royal army approached the rebels fled
  • 9 leaders were executed and 800 other rebels
• reasons for decline of popular resistance 1570-88

  • Elizabeth was portrayed as the defender of the realm tapping into English nationalism
  • events such as accession day promoted loyalty as catholics saw them selves as English first
  • Francis walsingham created a spy network which helped discover plots ie tha babbington plot of 1586
  • fear - rebels were treated harshly and catholics were targeted in acts of parliament ( punishment for missing church )
• reasons for popular resistance 1570 - 80

  • 1584 - bond of association pledged to protect the queen
  • the developing power of jps helped as a first line of defence
  • by avoiding war until 1585 Elizabeth did not have to tax her subjects too much - the economic situation was relatively stable which reduced the chance of rebellion