Finance in Charles' Personal Rule Flashcards
What voluntary levies were issued to yield money?
Charles had yielded very few subsidies, with his second parliament offering none. First he requested a ‘benevolence,’ a voluntary capital levy which had been outlawed in the fifteenth century. This ran into resistance, so a Forced Loan of 1627 was issued, where several subsidies were yielded.
After 1629, what research was done on lands of gentry and peerage?
What were commissioners responsible to find?
What were limitations of restoring the ancient laws?
In 1630 the Commission for Defective Titles was set up, what did this achieve? when were fines levied? When did judicial enquiry to investigate encroachment of royal forests resume?
After 1629, research would be made on land owned by gentry and peerage to investigate those who were encroaching crown lands, restoring ancient laws. Many were fined as a result of this, as commissioners could find the wrongful enclosure of open fields and common lands. This brought in little money though, and commissions to find royal officials who charged too much in fees and those who wrongly innovated offices brought in little.
In 1630 the Commission for Defective Titles was set up with the leases and titles of landowners investigated and new rents required from people who couldn’t give excuses for lower payment. Fines levied for illegal enclosure of waste or common land. Judicial enquiry set up to investigate encroachment of royal forests in 1634, and second CFDT set up in 1635.
What was antiquarian research? How much was raised by 1635, and how much did the Court of Wards and Liveries make from 1631-41?
Antiquarian research would be done, with those who earned over £40 a year invited to the 1626 coronation. Those who failed to do so were fined according to income, yielding two subsidies. Those who owned freehold land worth more than £40 would receive a knighthood, and in 1630 those who didn’t do so were made to pay a fine. This raised £165,000 by 1635, and the Court of Wards and Liveries made £54,000 from 1631-35, and £75,000 from 1636-41.
In the 1630s, what had increased rapidly? What also took in more money due to less middlemen?
What changes were made to Purveyance and Cartage?
In 1630s, the impositions had increased rapidly, avoiding James’ law on monopolies. Even essentials such as soap had impositions. Monopolists payment was treated as extra tax. Meanwhile, purveyance racked in extra money as middlemen made less with prices for wardships of under age or female heirs was made heavier.
Purveyance and Cartage, (the cost of discounted food, fuel, water, lighting, and transport), did not change significantly. Cartage burden rose due to more spending on timber for shipbuilding.
How was the 1624 Monopolies Act avoided? What monopolies were licensed to others? What rigging was completed to get a monopoly?
What was increased with new offences created?
The 1624 Monopolies Act was avoided as monopolies were sold again, with licensing of the East India Company to rival Sir William Courten, and the rigging of popish soap to gain this monopoly by Catholic courtiers.
Fines and court fees were increased with new offences such as building land around London.
What shows the King’s success in avoiding nonpayment campaigns in London? When did government continue levying tonnage and poundage?
The King was successful in avoiding the nonpayment campaigns of London merchants from 1628-30, as revenue from imports and exports was the largest royal revenue. The government continued to levy Tunnage and Poundage from 1630, which Charles was entitled to, despite being told he could only have the privilege for a year. He spurned at it then, and again in 1626. Value rose with trade.
Describe the evolution of impositions. What did revenue exceed? How much did it earn from 1631-41 (two year groups)?
Moreover, impositions, additional duties customs, were introduced, with new impositions in the 1620s, and in the 1630s, new ‘new impositions,’ causing revenue to surpass that of the revenue from Crown lands, monarch estates, and the estates of close family. £53,000 was earned a year from 1631-5, and from 1636-41 £120,000 was earned.
What direct payment did parliament offer?
Parliament would issue tenths and fifteenths, poll tax, subsidies, and ship money which took in £110,000 a year.
What did Charles benefit from? Where else was spending reduced? Who protested most?
the crown’s income was at last outstripping inflation and growing in real terms. Crown jewels were returned from international pawnbrokers, and Charles extended his art collection. Meanwhile, spending in the Navy, Ordnance Office, castles/forts/garrisons, and the royal Household was cut. The last was reluctant to this, seeing accounting devices providing for officials with vested interest. Judicial and administrative government hardly changed.
Why was Charles’ personal rule different for finance?
Unlike in the 1620s, crown lands no longer had to be sold off, liquidising capital assets, and the crown had a growing surplus.
Describe Ship Money. When was it introduced and why? What did Charles initially request? Where was this levied? What changed in 1635? How many subsidies were raised annually from 1636-39? How do records conflict with payment claims?
Ship Money was first introduced as a peacetime levy in 1634 to raise money with the threat of France and Dutch naval strength and the North African Pirates. The king initially requested ships or a monetary equivalent for 1635. This was only levied for seaboard counties. In 1635 the whole of England was taxed. From 1636-38 more than four subsidies were raised annually, dropping to 1.5 by 1639. The privy council and state paper records show complaints of nonpayment and requests for reduction in demands of ship money. However, other evidence shows that the rate of payment was very high and until the end Charles spent the money on furnishing, arming, and equipping ships, and restoring old ones.
Why did the king and Council decide not to levy ship money as a rate in the Pound? What did sheriffs do with the figures they received? Who continued to use the system?
The King and Council decided not to levy it as a rate in the Pound, but to set quotas for counties and boroughs/cities within counties, which sheriffs would receive and have to decide on how to raise this amount. Despite inability to understand people’s incomes and how to tax them on this basis, the system was effective and Long Parliament continued to use fixed quotas for direct taxation from 1643-60.
