Economic Development in the Reign of Henry VIII

Question 1

What was English trade like in the early 16th century?

Answer 1

Though there were occasional downturns, the volume of English trade increased
Continued rise in cloth exports, though the market for raw wool declined
The most export was woollen cloth and exports almost doubled during Henry VIII’s reign

Question 2

How did the Merchant adventurers flourish?

Answer 2

They traded in finished cloth and sent it to their base in Antwerp for dyeing and finishing
They also controlled trade with north-west Germany
They enjoyed special privileges and in return provided the crown with much needed loans

Question 3

What did other changes English exports/imports include?

Answer 3

Significant increases export of Cornish tin, hides and furs- this was counterbalanced by an increase in the import of wine which suggests the spending power of the more prosperous classes increased
Though broadcloths continued to be exported, the biggest change in the cloth industry was the increase in cheaper fabrics such as kersey (lighter)

Question 4

What was exploration like under Henry VIII?

Answer 4

He was uninterested and made no attempt to build on the achievements of Cabot and the Bristol merchants at the end of the 15th century
Robert Thorne - a Bristol trader, continued his involvement in an Iceland and Newfoundland fishery but other merchants failed to produce royal support for exploration

Question 5

Compared to earlier times what did Tudor England appear to be and what industry in particular flourished?

Answer 5

Relatively prosperous - the woollen industry especially in the West Riding of Yorkshire , East Anglia and parts of the west country grew in order to keep pace with increasing trade and demand

Question 6

Which other industries in England also prospered?

Answer 6

Tin mining in Cornwall, lead mining in the high Pennines and coal mining in the north of England (supplying London by sea)
New blast furnaces also produced an increasing amount of iron ore in the Weald of Sussex and Kent (by mid 16th century their number = 26 but the upsurge in iron ore smelting would come in the second half of the century)

Question 7

What aided the prosperity?

Answer 7

The increase in population from 1525 as surplus labour could work in industry

Question 8

How was a short term artificial boom created?

Answer 8

Debasement of coinage (reducing the silver content) which was first attempted in 1526 became more frequent in the 1540’s ( as the crown attempted to make more money to meet expenditure) created a short term boom in 1544-46 by putting more coinage into circulation

Question 9

What happened to agricultural prices from the 1520’s and what benefitted agriculture?

Answer 9

They rose, increasing farmers’ incomes
Enclosure (which increased farm size), new agricultural techniques (such as the rotation of crops and the breeding of superior cattle and sheeps) and engrossing (amalgamating farms) benefited agriculture

Question 10

Why did industrial and agricultural development not bring prosperity for all?

Answer 10

Bad harvests (1520-21 and 1527-29) led to temporary but significant rises in food prices. Food prices almost doubled across Henry VIII's reign bringing urban poverty 
In the countryside some were made homeless 
Debasement brought inflation and, following a period of stability for many there had been a fall in real wages by the end of the reign as prices and rent rose  (worse at end of reign as effects of debasement = particularly evident)

Question 11

Why were some made homeless in the countryside?

Answer 11

On the account of enclosure and engrossing. There was legislation to limit the practice of 1515; Wolsey established an enclosure commission in 1517, leading to some prosecutions; further legislation in 1534 attempted to limit sheep ownership and engrossing - none of this was particularly effective and the extent/effects of E+E are difficult to determine

Question 12

What were some points for distress?

Answer 12

Rising demand put strain on food supply
Plentiful supply of labour wages stagnated
Some peasants moved from rural to urban communities and suffered precarious existence as assessments for subsidies indicated considerable urban poverty e.g. over half population of Coventry recorded as having no personal wealth
Evidence for growing unemployment among rural labourers, some of whom found work in rural industries such as weaving and mining or move to towns and cities (Over 5000 migrants a year adding to London’s population)

Question 13

What were three points for prosperity?

Answer 13

The population began to grow significantly from 1525, with a general decline in the mortality rate
Increase in agricultural price leading to an increase in farming incomes and increased wealth for husbandmen, yeoman and landowners - enhanced in some cased by engrossing
Debasement of coinage = short-term artificial boom 1544-46 but long-term cost to living standards

Question 14

Which areas were particularly involved with trade ad what were the effects?

Answer 14

Leading route for exports (particularly cloth) = London to Antwerp, where it was frequently sent to customers in central Europe and the Baltic
As increasing proportion of exported cloth was routed through London which had a negative impact on other ports e.g. Bristol
Provincial traders found it difficult to compete with their London rivals
Southampton enjoyed a boom (especially in trade with Venice) but was short lived and over by mid-century

Question 15

What was a problem with trade profits?

Answer 15

They did not always find their way into English pockets - although 70% of cloth exports were transported by English merchants from the 1550’s, much of the trade was in foreign hands before this, however, there were still profits to be made in cloth as the woollen industry grew in first half of 16th century to meet increasing demand

Question 16

What did the ability of the cloth trade to supply its market depend on and how did the industry operate?

Answer 16

The effectiveness of the woollen industry - difficult to determine how much the industry grew by in the first half of the 16th century
Operated largely on a domestic basis with children carding the wool, women spinning and men weaving it, it was then passed from the domestic sphere for more specialised treatment such as fulling and dyeing which existed as small-scale industries throughout much of the country

Question 17

What are the three areas that undoubtedly saw the greatest growth in the cloth industry and what was the problem with the work?

Answer 17

The West Riding of Yorkshire, East Anglia (especially South Suffolk) and parts of the West country (especially Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Devon but the work was not always secure and could lead to poverty

Question 18

Was Sebastian Cabot significant in Henry VIII’s reign?

Answer 18

He remained in Spain for most of Henry’s reign, apart from two short visits to England and it was only after Edward VI took the throne that he returned - interestingly, he was assisted in his map-making activities by Robert Thornes son who bore the same name as his father

Question 19

Define engrossing?

Answer 19

The joining together of two or more farms to make a single agricultural unit, it could be seen as improving efficiency and output as the cost of rendering families homeless

Question 20

Define debasement?

Answer 20

The reduction in the silver content of coins and its replacement by base metal - debased coins were regarded with suspicion and as a result, merchants and shopkeepers put up their prices which resulted in an increase in the rate of inflation whose impact was greatest on low wage earners

Question 21

What was the main underlying cause of economic distress?

Answer 21

Increase in population (strain on food supply- cant meet demand, wages stagnating with plentiful supply of cheep labour
Beneficiaries of pop increase = wealthier farmers and landowners so agricultural prices and income rose
Been suggested that agricultural improvement promoted economic growth at the cost of peasant distress

Question 22

What was there a growing class of?

Answer 22

Substantial farmers who were able or fortunate enough to respond effectively to changing market conditions and who enjoyed much better material conditions as a result

Question 23

What were the consequences of society becoming more polarised?

Answer 23

Undermined traditional ideals of good lordship and social responsibility (as increased production created prosperity for landlords and poverty for wage earners)
Rich became richer and poor became poorer and the rich began to assume poor were so on account of their own idleness which would lead in the long run to much sterner measures taken against vagrancy and begging

Question 24

When had enclosure existed from and what was the issue?

Answer 24

Enclosure of common fields had existed in the 15th century but had had relatively little impact but it was perceived as creating moral problems as it led to the poor being forced to leave their homes
At this time it was largely a regional practice, mainly existing in the east Midlands villages and the bulk of the damage caused by enclosure and conversion of lands by tillage to pasture had taken place before 1485

Question 25

What was done about enclosure?

Answer 25

Muddled legislation was passed in 1489 and 1515 but there was no real grasp of the scale of the problem - its harmful social effects were highlighted in Thomas More’s book ‘utopia’ in 1516
In response Wolsey launched an enclosure commission in the following year to understand the extent of the issue and proceedings were launched successfully against 188 defendant who were found to have enclosed illegally
1534 - legislation attempted to limit sleep ownership and engrossing - with predictably limited results