Charles' personal rule

• the privy council 


  played a greater role as parliament was not in session

  - consisted of people who Charles picked and did not oppose or wrong him
• the star chamber 


  involved in non-religious matters

  Laud is the head judge
• the high commissions


  involved religious crimes

  Laud is the head judge
• what is the significance of laud being head judge?


  if you act against Laud, you will be judged by him

  being found guilty in the high commission meant that Laud could sentence in the star chamber
• the spending of the crown is cut, it is put in a stronger position
• paid for peace treaties with France in 1629 and Spain in 1630
• custom duties (inc tonnage & poundage)


  1631-35 earns Charles £270,000 a year

  - was only granted for a year in 1625 but he continued to collect it.
• new book of rates 1635


  updated the paid amount on goods to be more in line with their market value which increased the amount received
• what had custom duties risen to in late 1630s?

  £425,000 a year
• feudal dues (inc wardship)


  the crown had a right to run any estate inherited by an heir that was under 21 (not an adult)
• what did the income from wardship increase by?

  about a third – £75,000 a year
• monopolies


  a loophole in the monopoly allowed grants to corporations
• the monopoly for soap


  granted to a group of catholics and earned Charles £33,000
• recusancy fines

  income was increased from £5300 a year in the 1620s to £26,866 in 1634
• distraint of knighthood

  anyone holding land with £40 per year or more who had not received a knighthood at Charles' coronation was fined
• how much did Charles raise from distraint of knighthood?

  by 1635, almost £175,000
• forest fines

  fines for any landowner said to have encroached on areas of the royal forest but Charles used dubious maps and documents to impose fines on major landowners
• land titles

  fines imposed on those who rented land from the crown but lacked a title or could not prove 60 year occupation
• enclosure fines

  fines imposed by those who had illegally enclosed, closed off, common land
• ship money

  usually only paid by people who lived on the coast by from August 1625 everybody had to pay it
• Charles aimed for England and Scotland to conform to the same religion as one another
• new prayer book in 1633

  instructed how to pray, removed individuality, suggests you do not need to be in church to be close to god and can pray anywhere
• 1636 - moves alters to east side (very catholic) which is a direct attack on Scottish religious belief
• The priest begins to read the prayer book, a woman shouts 'the devil…' and people begin to throw anything they can find at him. Days of rioting after, Scotland don’t want anything to do with Charles' religion. Write a letter to Charles saying they will not conform and then declare a war on England (the bishops war). Charles did not like the riots but continued to push his reforms within the Scottish Kirk.
• Those that disagreed with Charles signed a manifesto that outlined what they wanted for Scottish Religious reforms. The document was called the National League and Covenant. People that signed it were called 'the Scots Covenanters'.
• the Treaty of Berwick

  Charles met with the Scots to discuss terms. They both had to disband armies but Charles had no intention of doing this and the Scots suspected this.
• Charles had to recall parliament as he needed money to defeat the Scots