1.9 econ development Flashcards
Before: What had the position of the economy been like under Henry VII? Discuss agriculture, industry, and exploration.
-A: Very strong. The largest English industry, as 90% lived in countrysides, whereas only 1.3% of people employed in the cloth trade. However, prices were dropping, so arable farming was becoming less profitable.
-I: Cloth industry accounted for 90% of exports, and precautions had been taken to ensure that foreign merchants didn’t profit in place of English. However, other industries were fairly irrelevant in England, and even less so in Europe as a whole. Also, the trade embargo of 1493 had damaged the industry.
-E: Largely unsuccessful. Henry had turned down Christopher Columbus, and the Cabot’s didn’t achieved masses. However, customs revenue rose by 20% over his reign, and it was possible that William Weston made it to America in 1499-1500.
Agriculture: Did rents, wages, purchasing power, and food/harvests increase or decrease?
-Rents: In the south, rents increased tenfold between 1510 & the Civil War. In the Midlands, the rents of Meadowlands rose fourfold between 1540-85. In the North, though, tenants resisted their landlords’ efforts.
-Wages: Due to pop. growth & the subsequent availability of workers, wages were low. Men & women were prepared to do a day’s work for little more than board wages.
-PP: From 1500-9, an agricultural labourer’s pp was 97, but from 1540-9, it had reduced to 71.
-Food: Pop. growth increase harvest demands, leading to a rise in prices. From 1480-9, average grain price was 114. By 1549, it was 187. In the cent. after Henry, price of consumables rose 400%.
Agriculture: What happened to the population over Henry’s reign? What would this mean for industry and economy?
-In 1525, the population was 2.26m. By 1551, it was 3.01m. The population was steadily, but substantially, growing.
-Could benefit the economy, as there would be more contributing to it, but this growth could also result in food shortages, low wages, and low job availability.
-Wealthier farmers and land owners benefitted from this increase, as rising prices and cheap labour increased their profits.
-This resulted in a more polarised society, where the rich became richer, and the poor poorer.
Agriculture: Were pastoral and arable farmers proportionally affected? What was the impact of enclosure? Where was it felt worst?
-No, pasture farmers benefitted from the rise in enclosurement, which meant that rent increases had become unsustainable. There was also an increase in demand for meats like beef & mutton which, again, benefitted pasture farmers.
-There had been some legislation regarding enclosure in 1515, but it was More’s ‘Utopia’ that highlighted the societal issue of increased enclosure. Wolsey launched an investigation into the impact of enclosure in 1517, and proceedings launched against no less than 188 defendants, who were found to have enclosed illegally.
-However, it was very much a regional practice, most common in the East Midlands, and the bulk of its damage had come before 1485. There was further legislation against it in 1534, limiting how many sheep an individual could own, but it was largely ineffective.
Industry: How did the purchasing power of industrial workers change over Henry’s reign? How does this compare to Henry VII’s reign?
How widespread was the cloth industry?
-From 1500-9, it had been around 95, whereas from 1540-9, it had fallen to only 70.
-In VII’s reign, prices had lowered, and wages had risen fairly equally. This was vastly different from VIII.
-West Riding of Yorkshire, East Anglia, and the West Country experienced growth in the cloth industry. Most cloth was exported from London, which negatively affected ports like Bristol, Hull, and Boston.
Industry: Did cloth merchants, clothiers, and other merchants experience growth?
-CM: 70% of cloth exports were transported by English merchants, from the 1550s, but before this it had been dominated by foreign merchants. Cloth exports doubled over Henry’s reign.
-C: Clothiers like William Stumpe of Malmesbury in Wiltshire gained wealth, which enabled him to become MP for Malmesbury, high sheriff of the county, and and a wealthy landowner.
-OM: The volume of English trade as a whole increased throughout the 16th c. There were increases in the exports of tin & hide, but these were counterbalanced by the imports of wine, which showed the increased spending power of the upper classes.
Industry: Did cloth, coal, tin, and lead workers experience economic growth?
-Cloth: Unemployed cloth workers in Norfolk & Suffolk were affected poorly by the 1525 Amicable Grant. The wool industry grew in the first half of the 16th century, but market for raw wool had decreased, but cloth exports still almost doubled. Cloth industry was challenged by cheaper materials like kersey.
-Coal: Coal mining in the northeast, particularly Newcastle, grew in importance. By the mid-16th cent. there were 26 in England, increasing the need for coal.
-Tin: There was a significant increase in the export of tin, and Cornish tin was a prized export.
-Lead: Lead mining in the High Pennines, too, grew in importance
Industry: Did the North, South, East, and West all benefit?
-N: There were complaints in Yorkshire about the subsidy for Henry’s 1513 campaign, and the tax demands for some areas were eventually written off. The West Riding of Yorkshire boomed from the cloth trade
-S: London experienced a lot of benefits from the cloth trade, and became the leading route to Antwerp.
-E: Amicable Grant of 1525 was not well recieved here. Essex said that 1000 people had gathered at the Suffolk border to resist the tax. Norfolk & Suffolk faced 4000 tax resistors, who were treated leniently at Wolsey’s request. The East faced a lot of enclosurement, and ports like Hull did not benefit from cloth trade.
-W: Bristol merchants like Cabots, and Thorne continued to explore Iceland, but did not make significant progress and lacked royal favour.
Exploration: Was Henry interested in it? Was there any developments?
-Henry made no attempt to build on Cabot’s success, but Robert Thorne, a Bristol trader, continued his involvement in Iceland & Newfoundland fishery.
-Sebastian Cabot remained in Spain for most of Henry’s reign, and only really returned under Edward VI.
-It was clear the exploration was not valued under Henry VIII.
Prosperity: In what ways was England at the most economically healthy it had ever been?
-The population had grown significantly from 1525, with a decline in the rate of mortality.
-From 1520s, agricultural prices rose significantly, increasing farming incomes. In some cases, this was enhanced by the practice of engrossing.
-Debasement of coinage created a short-term boom from 1544-6 (however, this came at the cost of long-term living standards).
Prosperity: What evidence is there against this?
-Bad harvests, like that of 1520-1 & 1527-9, led to signifcant food price increases, which caused many problems for urban workers.
-Real wages began to decline. This was worsened when the effects of debasement became evident.
-Assessment for subsidied indicated that there was considerable poverty, particularly in urban areas. Over half the population of Coventry were recorded as having no personal wealth, as was a third of Yarmouth.
-There was growing unemployment amongst rural labourers, some of whom found work in rural industries like weaving & mining, which resulted in 5000 migranst to London a year.
-Engrossing resulted in some people becoming homeless, and legislation regarding the problem was very ineffective.
