SOCIAL CONTINUITY/CHANGE + SOCIAL ISSUES

NOBILITY

CONTINUITY:

• Peerage increase, but only 9 more by the end of reign

• Only 1 duke at start of reign, 2 new (Suffolk and Norfolk). Used for law and order

CHANGE:

• increased control by monarch, e.g. commoners death for baron dacre of the south

GENTRY

CHANGE:

• 5000 - around 200 knightly families.

• Increased size

• Increase in number of JPs. Increasing administrative role

• Sons educated in law as admin shift from educated clergy to educated laymen

COMMONERS

Little change overall, mostly continued.

Inflation = decrease in real income 1520s.

Poor laws

VAGABONDS

• Cromwell created first Tudor poor law - ‘the vagabonds act’ - 1531 - distributed food and provisions to the poor. Up to 200 people came everyday for what he offered.

  • clear distinction made between those unable to work and those deemed unwilling.

  • Those unable - given a licence to beg and those unwilling were punished.

  • No provision for those unable to work - had to rely on churches or chairs from generous merchants

  • Parishes now legally obliged to care for their poor

THE IMPACT OF ENCLOSURE

• even though it had relatively little impact in the 15th century, it had relatively little impact - was seen more as a moral issue as it led to the poor being forced to leave their homes

• In the 1510s/20s enclosure was largely only done in the regions and the bulk of damage caused by enclosure . However this didn’t prevent further legislation (1534) which attempted to limit sheep ownership and engrossing but it had limited results

PEASANTS/UNEMPLOYMENT

• Bad harvests in the 1520s/30s led to significant increases in food prices - they almost DOUBLED in his reign. This caused issues in particular for urban workers

• Real wages (after period of stability) began to decline for many. This was at its worst at the end of his reign when the effects of the debasement were very evident.

• Assessments for subsidies indicated considerable urban poverty - e.g. over half the population of Coventry were recorded as having no personal wealth.

• Growing unemployment amongst rural labourers, who found work in rural industries such as weaving and mining. They often moved to towns/cities - 5k migrants came to loan each year

• Some made homeless due to engrossing.

ECONOMIC REFORMS UNDER WOLSEY

• when he began to enquire about how much land had been enclosed and the impact that had had on those in the areas, opposition from within parliament (many were landowners) forced a suspension of the enquiry.

  • this inability to enact trade was exacerbated by the trade embargo on cloth between the Spanish influenced Netherlands and England. This effected the economy (particularly east England) and caused widespread unemployment)

POPULATION

• main underlying cause of economy distress.

• Large population put a considerable strain on food supply which made it difficult to meet rising demand. Problem made worse by stagnant wages (with a plentiful supply of cheap wages)

• The richer members of society became richer and the poorer members became poorer. The richer assumed the poor were poor due to their own laziness which led to much harsher measures against vagrancy and begging

REGIONAL ISSUES - WALES AND THE NORTH

• Cromwell had been particularly active in restoring good governance with wales (e.g. felons prevented from crossing river Severn to/from south wales)

• 1536 Franchises act

  • brought the administration of the welsh shires in line with England’s own. Abolished any rights semi-autonomous lords had before.

  • Deliberate crown policy to move towards a sovereign unitary state.

  • Cromwell effectively merged wales into England.

• Following the PoG - Cromwell reconstructed the council of the north so it was more dependent on Kings council in London.

  • by 1540 - England more centralised than it had ever been - 29 seats added to the House of Commons, predominantly from wales

REGIONAL ISSUES - IRELAND

• 9th Earl of Kildare suffered more interference from H8 than his dad ever had to deal with from H7. Largely because H8 was using Irish offices as rewards for his courtiers:

  • John kilter appointed to bishop of Armagh 1513

  • Sir Thomas Boleyn’s admission to court

• In 1519 - the Earl of Kildare was replaced with an English nobleman (Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey - future Duke of Norfolk).

  • Surrey’s arrival in Ireland effectively restored royal authority over the whole of Ireland.

• Kildare was arrested after making it clear he would never permit any reformation of the church to take place in Ireland. He died in the tower in 1534 and rebellion led by his son spread.

• By 1539:

  • Irish church had completely dissolved monasteries

  • Many Gaelic leaders took English titles to show submission to king under policies where they could receive their ancestral lands back and pass them on to their eldest sons.

• Ireland constitutionally changed - H declared as king of Ireland.