economic development and society

• Trade and exploration


  • Raw wool market decline
  • Woollen cloth export doubled
  • Increase in export of hide and tn
  • Increase in import of wine
  • Focus on London and antwerp
  • 70% of cloth export by the english
• William stumpe


  • Entrepreneurial clothier
  • Mp for malmesbury
  • High sheriff
  • Benefited from dissolution of monasteries
• Henry wasnt interested
• Henry's aim


  Wanted to increase trade at expense of rivals - hanseatic league
• Causes of poverty
• Population increased significantly after 1525


  • More workers
  • Pressure on food resources when bad harvest 1520-1521 and 1527-1529
• By 1530s


  Grain and meat prices had double since 1510
• Debasment of coins started in 1526


  Frequent in 1540s
• Reformation


  Contributed to inflation process with gold and silver ornaments being melted down
• Short term


  Artificial boom
• Long term


  Costs to living standards
• Changes in farming


  • Engrossing
  • Enclosure
  • Pasture
  • Increase in farming incomes
  • Growing unemployment amongst rural labourers - 5000 migrants a year to london - homelessness
• Putting out system


  1. Domestic system

  2. Bypass guild system

  3. Merchant provides materials

  4. Work at home

  5. Merchant garined finished product
• Legislation


  • Muddled in 1489 and 1515
  • Utopia book 1516
  • Wolsey commission 1517- 188 enclosed illegally
  • Legislation 1534 - attempted to limit sheep ownership and engrossing
  • Limited results