Social and intellectual challenge, 1625-1688
Timeline-
1601 Poor Relief Act passed
1626 Francis Bacon dies
1629 Charles I begins Personal Rule
1638 Pop. of Britain reaches 5 million
1649 Leveller leaders are imprisoned in the Tower of London + first Digger commune
established
1651 Thomas Hobbes publishes Leviathan
1660 The Royal Society is founded
1662 The Settlement Act modifies the Poor Relief Act
1686 Newton presents his theory of gravity to the Royal Society
1689 John Locke publishes Two Treatises of Government
Social structure change: The power of the nobility
- Nobles had the highest status besides the monarch and were often members of the HoL.
- Nobles can be defined by having titles e.g. duke, earl etc. which was often inherited along
with land and property.
- Only 2% of the population were nobility or gentry. The nobility controlled 15% of all
wealth and property of the country.
- The nobility began to decline at the end of Elizabeth’s reign, as well as due to inflation
and the high levels of spending expected from aristocratic families e.g. troops of servants,
great establishments, visits to court etc.
- They still wielded considerable power though, like the Marquis of Newcastle and the Earl
of Worcester who donated £900,000 and £700,000 to the royalist cause in 1642.
The rise of the gentry
- Many key individuals were gentry e.g. John Pym, Oliver Cromwell, George Monck.
During the Civil War, the gentry were divided in their loyalties
- Gentry numbers increased by 300% from the Tudor period to the middle of the 17th
Century. They began to dominate politics and be elevated to the peerage (legal system
including hereditary and lifetime titles the nobility) by the Crown e.g. Wentworth became
Earl of Strafford.
Total number of gentry was around 15,000, made up of-
, 3000 higher, who could control a number of estates and manors that could be as big as
5000 acres or more, they aspired to become MPs
12,000 lower, who could own an estate as small as 50 acres and held property in a single
parish, they could become JPs, constables or judges etc.
The Rise of the Gentry/Storm over the Gentry-
- A heated historical debate started by Tawney who argued that the crisis that caused the
Civil War and the end of the monarchy was due to the shifting fortunes of the nobility
and gentry. Inflation caused noble fortuned to decline and the rising gentry filled the
vacuum. Stone agreed with this, though Trever-Roper challenged it, and Hill challenged
him.
However, the gentry had more influence due to their participation in politics which was
increasing due to-
The fact that it was normal for 2nd or 3rd sons of gentry to enter a career in law, an ideal
stepping stone for becoming an MP or joining the Privy Council
Most MPs were gentry , and as P. became more important so did their roles
Many Parliamentarians who fought in the Civil War and became high profile figures in
the Republic were gentry + the abolition of the HoL in 1649 created new opportunities
Urbanisation and the growth of merchant classes
Merchants-
- The merchant class began to grow in power and influence, however they were still looked
down on by the elites, though they still maintained connections with gentry.
- In 1688 there were an estimated 64,000 merchants in trading. This rise in numbers is
partially due to increased urbanisation and trade. London had a consumer boom after
1650 as a result of improved trading conditions.
- Merchants could accumulate as much wealth as members of the gentry and hold equal
positions of power in towns
- Most merchants couldn’t pursue a scholarly education as they were working and so
couldn’t command the same respect as the gentry
- Some merchants became hugely wealthy and could buy land, with some owners of larger
international companies purchased earldoms to secure their family’s future, which still
reasserts the social hierarchy, since it was aspirational to climb the ranks.
- By the start of the Civil War, the merchant class was a well-established and respected
group in London
- Merchants benefited from the Navigation Acts 1651 and 1660
- Many received knighthoods for commercial success and public service rather than their
family background
,Professional classes-
- The number of professionals rose considerably in the Stuart period as a direct result of
rising living standards experienced by the gentry and merchants.
- As quality of life grew, there was increased demand for legal services, healthcare, new
buildings and education, so more lawyers, doctors, academics etc.
- The only notable profession before this period was the clergy, but now doctors and
lawyers were beginning to achieve similar status
- Many of the professional class were from, or related to gentry classes, which reflects the
lack of educational opportunities for the lower orders
Role of Women-
- In the 17th century women had very few rights and were under complete control of their
husbands and fathers under law
- The role of a woman was generally advice to her husband
- Opportunity came due to the Civil War when women had to take up the roles of men,
mainly in gentry families. E.g. Lucy Hutchinson managed her husband’s estate,
parliamentarian Colonel husband John and Mary Banks, a royalist, commanded a
detachment of troops in the defence of Corfe castle.
- However, these exceptional women were few and far between, and arguably during the
Interregnum they had even fewer rights, as they were seen as inferior in all ways to men
and should only be able to read to educate children on religious texts.
- Some Diggers advocated for both male and female suffrage, but the Quakers offered
women the most freedom, believing they had a right to speak up in Church, preach and
give their opinion. Puritans thought family was at the heart of worship rather than the
Church, making it necessary that women be able to read to teach their children in
religious education
- The Adultery Act (1650) meant both men and women could be sentenced to death,
though it was often used against women
- The Marriage Act (1653) allowing civil marriages carried out by JPs, was largely ignored
as it meant men had less rights over their wives compared to Church marriages.
- There were punishments for women such as the brank, a metal device put on the head
which made it impossible to talk. These were put on display in town halls, but it is not
known if they were actually used or just to scare women into submission.
Radical political ideas, including the Levellers, Diggers, Seekers and
Quakers
- Opportunities for radical political ideas to emerge occurred during the Civil War and
after the execution of Charles I, 1649 with many of these ideas being promoted by
Puritan sects who thought the coming of Christ was imminent
, Levellers-
- Most important radical group who were active from 1645 and had their origins in the
religious radicalism of the army and parliament
- Their leaders issued pamphlets calling for a widening of the voting franchise, new
elections and equality under the law
- An Agreement of the People was their most influential work which was release in several
versions between 1647-49, and they became most influential after the Civil War when
Leveller elements of the NMA began to call for change
- At the Putney Debates in 1647 the highest-ranking Leveller, Colonel Rainsborough spoke
for the radical soldiers against Cromwell
The Levellers demands-
The HoC should be the central body in the political system and the HoL should be
abolished
There should be a new constitution, universal male suffrage
men should be equal before the law and have religious freedom
They believed the king was a tyrant and argued for a reform of the legal system with local courts
being staffed by locally elected judges and officials. They also called for an end to imprisonment
for debt.
How successful were they-
- they were the most successful radical group at the time, and although short-lived, their
ideas influenced later democratic movements
- However, they did encourage conservatism from the grandees and Rump between 1649-
53 since Cromwell and others weren’t socially radical and thought the Levellers
threatened their privileged status
- Disagreements between leaders limited their success with rival proposals and a lack of a
cohesive, consistent message
- There was limited national support, since there was little interest from the rural poor
since it wouldn’t affect them if things changed
Jonothan Scott argues that “the movement never established a large-scale organisation of its
own”.
Diggers-
- Called themselves the True Levellers and claimed that the ownership of land was based
on man-made laws invalidated by the king’s death
- The first such group began to dig vegetables on common land in Surrey in April 1649,
and this group grew in size
Timeline-
1601 Poor Relief Act passed
1626 Francis Bacon dies
1629 Charles I begins Personal Rule
1638 Pop. of Britain reaches 5 million
1649 Leveller leaders are imprisoned in the Tower of London + first Digger commune
established
1651 Thomas Hobbes publishes Leviathan
1660 The Royal Society is founded
1662 The Settlement Act modifies the Poor Relief Act
1686 Newton presents his theory of gravity to the Royal Society
1689 John Locke publishes Two Treatises of Government
Social structure change: The power of the nobility
- Nobles had the highest status besides the monarch and were often members of the HoL.
- Nobles can be defined by having titles e.g. duke, earl etc. which was often inherited along
with land and property.
- Only 2% of the population were nobility or gentry. The nobility controlled 15% of all
wealth and property of the country.
- The nobility began to decline at the end of Elizabeth’s reign, as well as due to inflation
and the high levels of spending expected from aristocratic families e.g. troops of servants,
great establishments, visits to court etc.
- They still wielded considerable power though, like the Marquis of Newcastle and the Earl
of Worcester who donated £900,000 and £700,000 to the royalist cause in 1642.
The rise of the gentry
- Many key individuals were gentry e.g. John Pym, Oliver Cromwell, George Monck.
During the Civil War, the gentry were divided in their loyalties
- Gentry numbers increased by 300% from the Tudor period to the middle of the 17th
Century. They began to dominate politics and be elevated to the peerage (legal system
including hereditary and lifetime titles the nobility) by the Crown e.g. Wentworth became
Earl of Strafford.
Total number of gentry was around 15,000, made up of-
, 3000 higher, who could control a number of estates and manors that could be as big as
5000 acres or more, they aspired to become MPs
12,000 lower, who could own an estate as small as 50 acres and held property in a single
parish, they could become JPs, constables or judges etc.
The Rise of the Gentry/Storm over the Gentry-
- A heated historical debate started by Tawney who argued that the crisis that caused the
Civil War and the end of the monarchy was due to the shifting fortunes of the nobility
and gentry. Inflation caused noble fortuned to decline and the rising gentry filled the
vacuum. Stone agreed with this, though Trever-Roper challenged it, and Hill challenged
him.
However, the gentry had more influence due to their participation in politics which was
increasing due to-
The fact that it was normal for 2nd or 3rd sons of gentry to enter a career in law, an ideal
stepping stone for becoming an MP or joining the Privy Council
Most MPs were gentry , and as P. became more important so did their roles
Many Parliamentarians who fought in the Civil War and became high profile figures in
the Republic were gentry + the abolition of the HoL in 1649 created new opportunities
Urbanisation and the growth of merchant classes
Merchants-
- The merchant class began to grow in power and influence, however they were still looked
down on by the elites, though they still maintained connections with gentry.
- In 1688 there were an estimated 64,000 merchants in trading. This rise in numbers is
partially due to increased urbanisation and trade. London had a consumer boom after
1650 as a result of improved trading conditions.
- Merchants could accumulate as much wealth as members of the gentry and hold equal
positions of power in towns
- Most merchants couldn’t pursue a scholarly education as they were working and so
couldn’t command the same respect as the gentry
- Some merchants became hugely wealthy and could buy land, with some owners of larger
international companies purchased earldoms to secure their family’s future, which still
reasserts the social hierarchy, since it was aspirational to climb the ranks.
- By the start of the Civil War, the merchant class was a well-established and respected
group in London
- Merchants benefited from the Navigation Acts 1651 and 1660
- Many received knighthoods for commercial success and public service rather than their
family background
,Professional classes-
- The number of professionals rose considerably in the Stuart period as a direct result of
rising living standards experienced by the gentry and merchants.
- As quality of life grew, there was increased demand for legal services, healthcare, new
buildings and education, so more lawyers, doctors, academics etc.
- The only notable profession before this period was the clergy, but now doctors and
lawyers were beginning to achieve similar status
- Many of the professional class were from, or related to gentry classes, which reflects the
lack of educational opportunities for the lower orders
Role of Women-
- In the 17th century women had very few rights and were under complete control of their
husbands and fathers under law
- The role of a woman was generally advice to her husband
- Opportunity came due to the Civil War when women had to take up the roles of men,
mainly in gentry families. E.g. Lucy Hutchinson managed her husband’s estate,
parliamentarian Colonel husband John and Mary Banks, a royalist, commanded a
detachment of troops in the defence of Corfe castle.
- However, these exceptional women were few and far between, and arguably during the
Interregnum they had even fewer rights, as they were seen as inferior in all ways to men
and should only be able to read to educate children on religious texts.
- Some Diggers advocated for both male and female suffrage, but the Quakers offered
women the most freedom, believing they had a right to speak up in Church, preach and
give their opinion. Puritans thought family was at the heart of worship rather than the
Church, making it necessary that women be able to read to teach their children in
religious education
- The Adultery Act (1650) meant both men and women could be sentenced to death,
though it was often used against women
- The Marriage Act (1653) allowing civil marriages carried out by JPs, was largely ignored
as it meant men had less rights over their wives compared to Church marriages.
- There were punishments for women such as the brank, a metal device put on the head
which made it impossible to talk. These were put on display in town halls, but it is not
known if they were actually used or just to scare women into submission.
Radical political ideas, including the Levellers, Diggers, Seekers and
Quakers
- Opportunities for radical political ideas to emerge occurred during the Civil War and
after the execution of Charles I, 1649 with many of these ideas being promoted by
Puritan sects who thought the coming of Christ was imminent
, Levellers-
- Most important radical group who were active from 1645 and had their origins in the
religious radicalism of the army and parliament
- Their leaders issued pamphlets calling for a widening of the voting franchise, new
elections and equality under the law
- An Agreement of the People was their most influential work which was release in several
versions between 1647-49, and they became most influential after the Civil War when
Leveller elements of the NMA began to call for change
- At the Putney Debates in 1647 the highest-ranking Leveller, Colonel Rainsborough spoke
for the radical soldiers against Cromwell
The Levellers demands-
The HoC should be the central body in the political system and the HoL should be
abolished
There should be a new constitution, universal male suffrage
men should be equal before the law and have religious freedom
They believed the king was a tyrant and argued for a reform of the legal system with local courts
being staffed by locally elected judges and officials. They also called for an end to imprisonment
for debt.
How successful were they-
- they were the most successful radical group at the time, and although short-lived, their
ideas influenced later democratic movements
- However, they did encourage conservatism from the grandees and Rump between 1649-
53 since Cromwell and others weren’t socially radical and thought the Levellers
threatened their privileged status
- Disagreements between leaders limited their success with rival proposals and a lack of a
cohesive, consistent message
- There was limited national support, since there was little interest from the rural poor
since it wouldn’t affect them if things changed
Jonothan Scott argues that “the movement never established a large-scale organisation of its
own”.
Diggers-
- Called themselves the True Levellers and claimed that the ownership of land was based
on man-made laws invalidated by the king’s death
- The first such group began to dig vegetables on common land in Surrey in April 1649,
and this group grew in size
