Gaining cooperation of the localities - part 2 Flashcards
What was the main central court and where was it based?
Court of kings bench - based in London. Prosecuted cases on behalf of the king and his laws
How were JPs selected?
- Did not have to be a resident of the region
- Monarch inserted members of their court as JPs
- Had have land worth at leas £20 p/a
- Formed a quorum - group of jps present at meetings
- Some appointed because they were lawyers
What did Jps do and how often were they appointed?
Annually for each county.
- Kept law and order
- Could arrest potential suspects
- Could hear and decide on cases of felony and trespass
- Had to attend sessions 4X a year to perform their role
How and why did Henry VII begin the extension of powers of JPs?
- He was a usurper so vulnerable to rebellions and needed law and order.
- Appointed trusted members of his court - eg Sir Thomas Lovell in Yorkshire and Sussex.
- Act of Parliament 1495 - allowed JPs to act on info recieved without waiting for jury to be summoned
What attitudes did TW and TC have towards JPs in Henry VIII’s reign?
Expected them to enforce the reformations. Wanted to improve local justice. TW summoned JPs to hear a speach and fill in a 21Q questionnaire on law+order in their region.
What roles did JPs take in Edward’s reign?
Social disorder - key fear e.g 1549 rebllion, 1549 JPs took an inventory of parish goods in order to expose those who had illegally taken them and then prosecuted them
What roles did JPs take in Mary’s reign?
More responsibility, Ale houses had to be licensed - 1552 enforced by JPs. Had to enforce 1552 prayer book.
How had the role of JPs grown by Elizabeth’s reign?
Grew county bench from 25 under Henry VIII to 40-50 by Liz. No. of JPs per country ranged from 40-90 by 1603. Cecil noticed people became JPs to advance politically
What impact did the growth of JPs throughout the period have?
- increased corruption in local gov
- JPs being key to political advancement
What was the role of Lieutenants in the 1580s?
1585 LLs appointed to county benches, had many responsibilities but could not oversee everything, deputy Ls appointed to help, e.g DLs recruited army for Spanish war
What new responsibilities had JPs taken on?
BY 1603 - 309 Acts of Parliament which placed more responsibility on JPs.
- Power to deal with felonies by 1603 - riots, damage to property, minor offenses
- Administered poor law
- Collected subsidies
What was the monarch supposed to do in theory in terms of finance?
Supposed to be financially independent - ‘to live of his own’. Had 2 main sources of income - ordinary revenue - royal lands and extraordinary revenue - tax
What made a monarch’s financial situation worse?
- Henry VIII’s high expenditure - spent £100,000 on building Hampton Court and Whitehall
- Royal Household in 1550s costed £75,000 p.a
What problems did demanding taxation cause?
- Unrest - especially if high tax for long periods of time or coincided with socioeconomic problems
- e.g 1489+1497 rebellions in Henry VII caused by tax
- POG had demands about tax
What was the medieval method of raising tax?
Fixed amount since 1334. Boroughs paid tax - 1/10 of the value of goods, countryside paid 1/15. Each 15th and 10th expected to yield £29,500. No assessment
Why could the medieval method of raising tax cause problems?
Out of date, paid levels of tax set 150 years before. Didn’t account for population changes or other socioeconomic changes. Meant if inflation rose, tax couldn’t meet needs.
Why were 10ths and 15ths seen as unfair?
Each community paid a fixed sum rather than based on individual wealth. Towns paid more than countryside. Towns becoming depopulated, increasing wealth in countryside due to cloth and wool trade growing.
How did Henry VII introduce a new tax system?
Experimented by asking for 2 10ths and 2 15ths, also tried getting tax by assessing individual wealth, it yieled an extra £80,000 and was used again in 1504
Why was the new subsidy system necessary?
Needed new tax system due to war with France. Foreign war very costly, 1509+1520 gov spend £1 million on the war effort but only got £25,000 rev that wasn’t tax
What changes did the subsidy system introduced by TW make?
Flexible, each individual assessed on their income from different possible sources of wealth. Only had to pay tax from one source, the one they were richest in
Why was the new tax system better?
Meant that a poor farmworker who was reliant on wages and owned no land or property would pay less than a member of the gentry, reduced resentment
How were the nobility assessed on the new tax system?
Based on their rank, paid more if from a higher rank, local officials assessed wealth, repeated by TW in 1514, 1515 and 1523 because it was successful
What is an example of the success of the new subsidy system?
1513-1523 TW raised £322,099 through subsidy but in 1512-1517 only £117,936 on old system
How did Cromwell develop the subsidy system even further?
1534 TC wanted a subsidy to fund gov during peacetime. Justified it on the grounds that Henry had ruled GB successfully for 25yrs. Thought he would be supported.
