Social and intellectual challenge, 1625–88

How much did England's population grow between 1520 and 1680?

It roughly doubled, from around 2.5 million to more than 5 million. The average rate of growth across the Stuart era was around 0.5 percent per year.

Where was England's population concentrated in the Stuart period?

Around three-quarters of the population lived in the South East. Large areas of the North were less densely populated, and towns were rare outside London.

What impact did the First Civil War have on population growth?

Population growth slowed after 1642–46 due to conflict and instability.

What role did migration play in population growth?

Migration increased the population of towns. Many were economic migrants, including skilled workers from abroad. Internal migration also increased as people moved to find work.

What were the two main types of internal migrants in the Stuart period?

Wealthy landowners and professionals travelling to London, and landless labourers and unemployed people searching for work.

How did mortality rates affect population growth in the Stuart period?

Mortality rates were lower than in previous centuries, mainly due to a decline in plague.

How did fertility patterns change in the Stuart period?

People married younger and had more children after 1650. Fertility fell until around 1650, then rose again by 1680.

How did London's population change between 1500 and 1700?

London grew to become the largest city in Western Europe with around 500,000 people, making up over 9 percent of England’s population by 1700.

Why was London important to the Stuart economy?

It was the centre of trade and transport, linking domestic agriculture with overseas trade and increasing demand for rural goods.

What happened to the number of English towns with a population over 5,000 between 1600 and 1700?

It rose from eight towns to over 30.

Which towns grew most significantly outside London and why?

Bristol, Norwich, York, and Newcastle grew due to trade and industry such as cloth production, Atlantic trade, and coal mining.

What was a vagrant?

A person who wandered to seek work or beg. By the 17th century they were often seen as able-bodied but unemployed and were punished harshly.

What was the poverty line?

The minimum income needed for basic survival. Many urban residents lived close to it during the Stuart period.

What was the main impact of population growth on towns?

It increased poverty and vagrancy. There was a shortage of work in both town and countryside, and industry increasingly moved to rural areas.

How was the Stuart economy primarily organised?

It was dominated by agriculture, employing around half the population.

What was price inflation and how did it affect the poor?

Price inflation meant rising prices for goods, reducing purchasing power and making it harder for workers to survive on wages.

How were the poor divided in the Stuart period?

Into the settled poor and the vagrant poor.

What was the 'poverty trap' and how did people escape it?

Poor people became servants in households, receiving food, housing, and clothing in exchange for work.

How did the growth of population affect rural life?

Enclosure and farm consolidation displaced workers, increasing rural poverty and migration to towns.

What were the main features of the Poor Relief Act of 1601?

Parishes were responsible for poor relief, overseers were appointed, and begging was restricted to one’s home parish.

How did Charles I try to improve poor relief during his Personal Rule?

Through the Book of Orders (1631), which aimed to improve local administration and poor relief efficiency.

How were the poor laws administered before the Restoration?

They were mainly administered locally by JPs and the Church, focused on maintaining order and preventing vagrancy.

What was the Settlement Act of 1662 and what did it do?

It required people to prove 40-day residence in a parish to receive relief, restricting movement of the poor.

Why was the Settlement Act of 1662 historically significant?

It defined eligibility for poor relief based on parish residence and gave local authorities more control over the poor.

What happened to vagrants under the Settlement Act of 1662?

They could be arrested and sent back to their parish or punished, increasing restrictions on movement.

What was a peer?

A titled noble such as a duke or earl who had a seat in the House of Lords.

What was the power of the nobility in 17th-century England?

They were a small elite (around 2%) who held major wealth and political power.

What was the gentry and how large were they?

The gentry were the social class below the nobility, numbering around 15,000–30,000 people.

What was the 'gentry controversy'?

A debate over whether the gentry were rising in power before 1688.

How did the gentry's political role change during the Stuart period?

Their role in Parliament and local government increased significantly after the Civil War.

How large was the merchant class in Stuart England?

The merchant class grew significantly by 1688 due to expanding trade and urbanisation.

What was the status of merchants compared to the gentry?

Merchants gained wealth but remained lower in social status than the landed gentry.

How did overseas trade shape the merchant class?

Growth in Atlantic and global trade increased merchant wealth and influence, especially in port cities.

Why were merchants often unable to achieve the same social standing as the gentry?

They lacked land, education, and prestige compared to the landed elite.

What was a professional and how did the professional class grow?

Professionals were educated workers such as lawyers and doctors, and their numbers increased significantly.

How did the Navigation Act of 1660 affect merchants?

It restricted trade to English ships, strengthening English merchants and overseas trade control.

What was the legal status of women in the 17th century?

Women had very few rights and were expected to be obedient wives and mothers.

How did the Civil War affect the status of women?

Women took on roles managing estates and petitioning Parliament.

What was the Adultery Act of 1650 and how did it affect women?

It made adultery a capital crime for both sexes but was enforced more harshly on women.

How did Puritanism affect women's lives?

It encouraged female literacy for religious instruction but kept women out of formal leadership roles.

Who was Katherine Chidley and why is she significant?

A radical woman who organised petitions and argued for greater political rights for women.

What legal changes affected Quaker women after 1650?

Quakerism allowed greater equality, including women preaching and participating in meetings.

What was suffrage and why did it matter to women in the Stuart period?

Suffrage is the right to vote; women had none, and even radical groups mostly excluded them.

Who were the Levellers and what did they want?

A political movement demanding equality before the law, extended male suffrage, and constitutional reform.

How successful were the Levellers?

They gained army support but were crushed after the Civil War.

Who were the Ranters?

A radical group rejecting traditional moral rules, believing the elect could not sin.

Who were the Diggers and what did they believe?

They supported common ownership of land and abolition of hierarchy.

Who were the Seekers and Quakers?

Groups believing in personal spiritual truth; Quakers promoted equality and challenged authority.

What was millenarianism?

The belief that Christ’s second coming was imminent.

Who were the Fifth Monarchists?

A millenarian group expecting Christ’s imminent rule on earth.

What were the key ideas of Thomas Hobbes in Leviathan (1651)?

People are self-interested and need a strong sovereign to prevent chaos.

What were the key ideas of John Locke?

People have natural rights and governments must protect life, liberty, and property.

How did Hobbes and Locke differ on the social contract?

Hobbes supported absolute authority; Locke supported limited government and resistance rights.

What was liberalism?

A belief in individual rights, freedom, and limited government.

What was empiricism and how did Locke contribute to it?

The idea that knowledge comes from experience rather than innate ideas.

What was the confessional state and how did it change between 1625 and 1688?

Religious uniformity collapsed due to civil war and political change.

What was the scientific revolution?

A period of major scientific change from c.1550–1700.

Who started the scientific revolution and how?

:contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0} challenged the idea that the Earth was the centre of the universe.

What was Francis Bacon's contribution to science?

:contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1} developed the scientific method based on observation and experimentation.

What were the key elements of Bacon's scientific method?

Emphasis on observation, data collection, and rejecting assumptions.

What were Isaac Newton's key achievements?

:contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2} developed the laws of gravity and motion, published in :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3} (1687).

What was the Royal Society and why was it significant?

:contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4} promoted experimentation and knowledge sharing.

What was the significance of Philosophical Transactions?

It was the first scientific journal, enabling international scientific communication.

How did the Royal Society change the relationship between science and society by 1688?

Science became more public, respected, and widely shared.