Rural economy

Income in the countryside was based on…

rent from land & on the profits to be made from the sale of agricultural produce

what were jobs in the countryside like?

Unskilled labourers were paid to work on other people’s land & craftspeople earned a living providing a vital service, some people were paid to work as domestic servants, and there was income to be made from the woollen industry (other industries remained small scale).

Inflation led to…

rising prices, rents & wages

Wages in the countryside failed to…

keep pace with rising prices

Those … began to look for ways of using inflation to their own advantage

living on fixed incomes, landlords in particular

how did those living on fixed incomes make use of infaltion

by selling surplus yield to supplement their regular income

who lost out because of inflation & why?

Labourers, who were dependent on wages, & landowners, who were able to increase their rents because their tenant had a fixed lease

what was the impact of inflation on the structure of society?

Increases in prices changed the traditional structure of society; it created great opportunities for individuals to make money, but contributed to an even greater disparity between incomes.

what increased under inflation?

Manufacturing & farming for profit

what was the impact of inflation on peasants?

peasants were driven from their land by force

who benefited at the expense of the crown & aristocracy?

the gentry

The gentry as a whole benefited during this period at the expense of…

the crown & traditional aristocracy

…% of the nobility had to sell their manors

28

28% of the nobility had to…

sell their manors

what does fallow field mean?

A field which was left unplowed/unsown for 12 months to allow the soil to recover. In an open-field village, crop retention was practised: one field was left fallow, the others grew crops.

what does practising ‘up and down’ husbandry mean?

Did away with the division between arable & pasture farming. Where land was suitable for both, it was used alternately. This removed the need for having fallow fields.

what was the impact of better fertilisers?

Experiments to find the best way to improve soil quality significantly contributed to the increase in crop yields

what was the impact of draining fens & marshes?

Drainage was only carried out on a small scale, some areas, such as Greenwich, had already been drained before Elizabeth's reign

how was the amount of land under cultivation extended?

Saltmarshes (Caernarvon), moor & mossland (Cheshire), forests (Cumbria) and parkland (Kent & Sussex) were cultivated

what was the impact of practising ‘up and down’ husbandry?

crop yields increased & more animals could be kept. This system required enclosures to prevent animals from wandering.

Although most innovations were passed on by word of mouth…

there were 6 textbooks on agricultural progress published during the 16th century

how was market gardening developed?

Immigrants from the low countries who settled in Kent & Hertfordshire began to grow crops such as carrots, turnips, clover, rapeseed & woad.

how did the breeding of livestock change under Elizabeth?

Better records were kept which enabled farmers to improve their livestock through breeding & by importing foreign breeds such as Friesian cattle.

what Acts were passed in 1563?

Act for Maintaining Tillage, Statute of Artificers, Act for the Maintenance of the Navy

when was the Act for Maintaining Tillage passed?

1563

what was the Act for Maintaining Tillage?

All land used for crops must remain used for crops. No crop land could be converted to pasture. This Act was against depopulation.

why did the gov pass the Act for Maintaining tillage?

The govs dislike of enclosure was based on the fear not only of social unrest but also that a number of tenants available for military service might decline.

when was the Statute of Artificers passed?

1563

what was the Statute of Artificers?

an attempt to regulate industry & agriculture by fixing maximum wage rates

what was the significance of the Statute of Artificers?

A landmark in economic legislation, it recognised the right to work & focused on young full-time labourers. All able unemployed persons were obliged to seek work in farming or domestic service. Employers were to provide employees with training & annual contracts.

how did the Statute of Artificers fail?

The Act failed to take into account the increasing level of unemployment caused by inflation & by fixing a maximum wage it held down wages at a time when those looked for waged employment that therefore contributed to the growth of poverty.

when was the Act for the Maintenance of the Navy?

1563

what was the Act for the Maintenance of the Navy?

Included a clause which raised the price limit on the amount of gain that could be exported.

what was the significance of the Act for the Maintenance of the Navy?

A series of good harvests enabled the gov to concentrate on expanding the food supply.

what Acts were passed 1592-1593

Statute Regarding the Export of Corn & the 1563 Act for Maintaining Tillage was repealed

what was the Statute Regarding the Export of Corn?

set a price limit on corn

what is the significance of the Statute Regarding the Export of Corn?

During good years, farmers were allowed to export surplus corn. This is an indication that corn was in sufficient supply even for the growing population.

why was the 1563 Act for Maintaining Tillage repealed?

followed a series of good harvests between 1587-1593 when there was surplus gain

when was the Statute Against Conversions to Pasture & the Statute Against Engrossing of Farms passed?

1598

what was the purpose of the Statute Against Conversions to Pasture & the Statute Against Engrossing of Farms passed?

designed to prevent further conversion of tillage into pasture

why were the Statute Against Conversions to Pasture & the Statute Against Engrossing of Farms passed?

Parliament was panicked the state of enclosures between 1591-1597. In some areas, e.g. Staffordshire in 1592-94, enclosures caused real distress. There were four disastrous harvests between 1594 -1597 which led to revolts against enclosure & high prices in Oxfordshire in 1596.

The number of Acts passed against enclosures & depopulation during the Tudor period shows…

the difficulty of the government in balancing its need for the profits that could be made from the cloth industry with the demands of an increasing population

Life in the countryside under Elizabeth was characterised by…

a stark divide between the wealthy minority & struggling majority

what was life like in the countryside?

Most lived a labour-intensive existence centred on farming with significant poverty, high inflation & vulnerability to harvests. Whilst the elite built grand manor houses, the poor lived in small thatched cottages with few possessions.

…rose throughout the period as a result of an increase in population.

Prices, particularly of grain,

why did prices rise under Elizabeth?

due to the increase in population

Those who did well out of inflation…

owned their land & were able to enclose land and use the new intensive farming methods to increase productivity

People whose tenancy agreements gave them no legal right to the land they farmed & those who were dependent on wages…

suffered a decline in their standard of living during this period

who suffered a decline in their standard of living during this period?

People whose tenancy agreements gave them no legal right to the land they farmed & those who were dependent on wages

The most controversial development in the countryside in the 16th century was…

the enclosure of arable land

The amount of arable land enclosed was... 

limited

The government had… but did not have…

definite aims & responsibilities in social & economic affairs

a coherent policy and tended to react to problems or issues as they arose

This was a period of…

increasing prosperity & increasing poverty and vagrancy

how is increasing prosperity seen?

increase in house building, social mobility, & standards of living

how is increasing poverty & poor releif seen?

through the need to provide poor relief

There was a…of wealth & poverty in Elizabeth’s reign. 

polarisation

In the countryside, although not in towns…

the majority took advantage of the rise in agricultural prices, resulting in an overall rise in the standard of living