Chapter 5 - Charles I's Personal Rule Flashcards
Charles I's Personal Rule
Customs Duties as a fiscal measure used by Chalres during Personal Rule
Tax on imports and exports
Included T+P
- Granted to Charles only for one year in 1625
- but he collected it through PR
- in 1635 the new Book of Rates updated official valuations
Trade improved in England once not at war with France and Spain.
Customs revenue increased:
- 1631-35 = £270,000 pa
- post 1635 = £425,000 pa
Recusansy fines as a fiscal measure used by Charles during Personal Rule
Fines on those who refused to attend compulsory CofE Sunday service
- Enforcement was tightened to maximise income
- 1620 = £5,300
- 1634 = £26,866
Distraint of Knighthood as a fiscal measure used by Charles during Personal Rule
Anyone holding land worth over £40 pa, had to be knighted or incur a fine
- not applied since the Tudor times
- by 1635, £175,000 raised
Monopolies as a fiscal measure used by Charles during Personal Rule
1624 Monopolies Act had made an individual holding a monopoly illegal
- Charles found a loophole so he could sell monopolies to corporations
- Most notorious = ‘Popish Soap’ which earned Charles £33,000
Wardships as a fiscal measure used by Charles during Personal Rule
Crown could administer the estate of an heir who inherited under the age of 21
- exploited by loyal officials to maximise Crown income
- raised £45,000 at the beginning of PR
- Cottington became Master of the Court of Wards in 1635
- By 1640, annual revenue = £84,000 and was collected very efficiently
Forest fines as a fiscal measure used by Charles during Personal Rule
Fines for any land owner who had extended their boundaries into land belonging to royal forests
- William Noy looked at ancient maps to identify
- Many landed families couldn’t produce centuries-old documents to disprove his claims
- £38,667 raised
- £20,000 from the Earl of Salisbury
- at the cost of angering rich and powerful landowners
Building fines as a fiscal measure used by Charles during Personal Rule
Fines for building beyond the chartered boundaries of a town
- rediscovered ancient charters against which new buildings could be assessed
- burden particularly in London, where over 60,000 new homes had been built since 1603
Enclosure fines as a fiscal measure used by Charles during Personal Rule
Fines on landowners for illegally enclosing (e.g. fencing for use as fields) common land
- not new but vigorously enforced
- seen as a fine on landowners wanting to improve their estates
What was the Privy Council?
- around 35 members from England’s noble families and leading lawyers
- role was to support monarch through regular sessions
- should’ve been a strength during PR
- it was primarliy an advisory body, but could function as a prerogative court
What two factors mitigated the usefulness of the Privy Council during Personal Rule?
1 - Charles rarely attended the x2 weekly sessions
e.g. from June 1630 - June 1631, he attended only 3 times
2 - Charles allowed a Spanish faction within the group
Appeared that Charles was being steered in a pro-Catholic direction
Charles didn’t rule with Parliament but he still had what?
- Advisors.
- Other governmental instruments at his disposal.
What was the situation with ministers after the death of Buckingham?
- Titles went out to a few close allies
- This combined with the absence of Parliament meant the concentration of political influence within an elite group
- This alienated the broader political nation
- Also provided targets when opposition gained strength
What did having no Parliament mean in regards to law?
Charles couldn’t enact new laws
But, he could change how existing laws were interpreted through prerogative courts.
What was the Star Chamber?
Prerogative court
- made up of Privy Councillors chosen by the monarch
- defendants could be questioned, fined, imprisoned or forced to undergo corporal punishment
- it was useful to attack those who disagreed with government policy
What was the Court of High Commission?
Prerogative court
- Chief court of the Church
- Designed to enforce canon law
- could discuss civil and religous cases
- Judgements could be passed onto the Star Chamberfor sentencing
Canon Law - laws that apply within the Church
What were Regional Councils?
Prerogative court
- impose royal control far away from Westminster
- leader of each council was known as ‘Lord President’ and acted as a regional governor, ensuring locall officials carried out royal requirements effectively
- Council used imprisonment and fines as its primary punishment
When was the Book of Orders?
January 1631
What was the Book of Orders?
- issued in response to chronic poverty caused by harvest failures in 1629 and 1630
- set out significant reforms
- 8 Orders and 12 Directions
- the Orders outlined new, more professional working practices for the JPs
What were some of the Orders in the Book of Orders?
- JPs convene a monthly meeting of enforcement officials at hundred levels (made up of parishes in a county). This would include constables, petty constables, churchwardens and overseers of the poor
- JPs to send monthly reports about their meetings to the sheriff
- Sheriffs to report from the JPs to the Circuit Judges
- Circuit Judges to report upwards to the Privy Council
- A penalty was added for non-compliance: punishment by Star Chamber
What was the value of Charles’ debt in 1629?
£2 million
What was Charles adivsed to cut expenditure by doing?
- Reducing spending on foreign affairs by concluding pease with France (1629 Treat of Susa) and Spain (1630 Treaty of Madrid)
- Reform Charles’ household expenditure, which was costing him 40% of ordinary income
What were the two most effective sources of revenue?
- Customs Duty
- Monopolies
Ship Money
- Previously levied in 1628, where he raised £170,000
- October 1634, Charles levied Ship Money on coastal towns and cities
- Extended to all of England in 1635
- he raised ~£300,000 pa (equivalent to three Parliamentary subsidies)
- initially 90% compliance, which suggested it was widely accepted and caused little unrest
- however, the only safe and culturally acceptable way to oppose the king was through parliament, which was not in session
- individulal criticism might have incurred royal anger
- gathering opposition outside Parliament would have felt dangerously radical in such a conservative, hierarchal society
When was the Hampden Case?
November 1637
