Chapter 11- Economic development Flashcards
did the volume of English trade increase during the first half of the sixteenth century?
yes, there was a continued rise in cloth exports, though the market for raw wool declined.
what happened to woollen cloth exports during Henry VIII’s reign?
they almost doubled
what other exports increased during Henry VIII’s reign?
hides and tin
what does the increased import of wine suggest
the spending power of the more prosperous classes increased
where was the leading route for exports?
from London to Antwerp, particularly for cloth
impact of London’s increased importance as a port
-Bristol especially, and also other east-coast ports such as Hull and Boston suffered
- Provincial traders found it difficult to compete
- Southampton had increased trade with venice but this was over by 1550s.
what was the biggest change in the cloth industry?
the increase in cheaper fabrics such as kersey compared with traditional broadcloth
what percentage of cloth exports was by english merchants?
70%
Woollen industry grew in the sixteenth century to keep up with demand
how did the wool industry tend to operate?
largely on a domestic basis with children carding the wool, women spinning and men weaving it.
the wool was then passed from the domestic sphere for more specialist treatment such as fulling or dyeing which existed as small-scale industries.
which three areas saw the greatest growth in the cloth industry?
the West Riding of Yorkshire, East Anglia (especially south Suffolk) and parts of the West Country (especially Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Devon.
why could the cloth industry sometimes lead for poverty for those involved?
the work was not always secure
what is an example of somebody acquiring wealth and enhancing their social status as a result of profits from the cloth industry?
William Stumpe of Malmesbury in Wiltshire who became MP for malmesbury, high sheriff of the county, wealthy landowner and beneficiary from the dissolution of the monasteries.
in what areas of the mining industry was there growth?
Cornish tin remained a prize export. lead mining in the high pennines and coal mining in the northeast of england were growing in importance, which Newcastle supplying an increasingly important London market by sea. blast furnaces produced an increasing amount of iron ore in the Weald of Sussex and kent.
how many blast furnaces were there by the middle of the century?
26
what was, ‘evil may day,’
-Early 1517 there was an economic downturn
- Workers in London claimed the 3000 Dutch and French migrants had unfair advantages in the wool trade
- 1,000 rioters on the 1st May ransacked homes and businesses of merchants and 15 rioters were executed
Did Exploration increase in Henry’s reign?
- Henry was uninterested in exploration and did not build on the attempts of Cabot and Bristol merchants
- Thorne continued involvement in Iceland and Newfoundland
- merchants found it hard to get royal support
- Cabot remained in Spain
John Guy quote
‘England was economically healthier, more expansive and more optimistic under the Tudors than at any time since the Roman occupation,’
points for England being in prosperity
-population grew from 1525 and there was a decrease in mortality rates
- from the 1520s agricultural prices rose significantly so there was an increase in farming income (enhanced by engrossing (joining farms))
points against England being in prosperity
- debasement of the coinage led to an artificial boom from 1544-46 but had a long term cost
- food prices almost doubled over his reign due to bad harvests )e.g. 1520-21 and 27-29)
- Wages declined
- Assessment for subsidies showed urban poverty- half of Coventry had no personal wealth
- unemployment high among rural workers who had to move to cities
- some people made homeless due to engrossing
How did Henry try to deal with enclosure throughout his reign?
1515 legislation passed but with no real grasp of the scale of the problem
- More’s utopia has highlighted its negative social effects
- Wolsey launched a commission and found 188 defendants who had enclosed illegally
- legislation in 1534 tried to limit sheep ownership and engrossing but had limited results
- most enclosure was regional e.g. East midlands villages.
positive effects of the increase in Population for farmers
- wealthier farmers and landowners benefitted from cheap labour
- growing class of farmers who could respond to market conditions
- economic growth for farmers occurred at the expense of the peasants
negative effects of population increase on society
- society became more polarised, rich became rich and poor became poorer
- rich accused the poor of being so due to laziness which led to a crackdown on vagrancy and begging
- ideal of good lordship and social responsibility undermined.
treatment of Roma people in the Tudor era
- referred to as, ‘Egyptians,’
- 1530s Egyptian Act expelled all Roma people from England
- Mary I amended earlier legislation to include Roma people born in England- they had to give up nomadic lifestyle or face execution
- 1563 Elizabeth passed further legislation
