Miles - History - 1. Further developments in the society and economy of Wales and England

Question 1

What caused inflation?

Answer 1

Government spending,
Debasement of coinage,
Circulation of bullion within Europe,
Bad harvests,
Land sales.

Question 2

Inflation 1554 - 157.

Answer 2

Prices in general DOUBLED between 1500-1550.
Prices could rise up to 4 TIMES during its worst.
Caused by :
Government spending on wars,
Debasement of coinage under Wolsey and Somerset,
Influx of gold and silver from Spanish empire,
Bad harvests decreased food supplies, inflating prices of food,
Land prices increased with scramble for monastic lands,
Inflation over the Tudor period was about 400%

Question 3

Government spending

Answer 3

After Henry VII, Tudors increased money spending, especially on foreign war.

This put more money into circulation as the government bought clothing, provisions, weaponary and ships for wars against Scotland and France.

However, this was only a small part of their National economic activity.

Question 4

De-basement of coinage

Answer 4

Wolsey instituted the first debasement of coinage in 1526-27.
Government reduced silver content in coinage and forced people to ask for more money for the same value.

Question 5

Bad harvests

Answer 5

Heavy rains caused bad harvest from 1555-1556.
Poor harvests led to diseased farm animals.
Famine drew people to riots.
Poor harvests resulted in a higher demand for food. Consequently, this inflated prices.

Question 6

Poverty 1554-1570 - Mary I

Answer 6

She inherited economic problems from Northumberland, debasement of coinage and inflation.

Mary gave away crown lands to re-establish monastic foundations.

Towns were badly hit, high mortality, food shortages

Question 7

…pt2

Answer 7

This was hoped to lessen urban employment, however,
Mary failed to produce new jobs for vagrants and failed to produce a new variety of industries in both towns and country.

Question 8

Poverty - Elizabeth I

Answer 8

Research shows that 60% of people were considered to be living in poverty under Elizabeth I.

Raises in wages to keep pace with sharp food prices.

Land-less poor were the hardest hit as they didn’t have the monastry to fall back on.

Punishment was not an adequate strategy for poverty and vagrants.

Question 9

…pt2

Answer 9

The statue of artificers act [1563]- legislate achievment as it encouraged jobs.

Poor Relief Act [1563] - Contributions to the poor were made compulsory. Refusal led to fines and sometimes imprisonment.

Question 10

Price Rises 1554 - 1570

Answer 10

Price rises affected all sectors and was regularly commented on buy comtemporaries. However, the dramatic population rise was barely noticed by contemporaries.

Grain prices rose quicker than meat, dairy or wood due to rising population.

Question 11

Why were there price rises?

Answer 11

The population rise meant that there was a younger population, meaning higher demand for food.

Demand out-stripped supple.

Debasement of coinage.

Question 12

Enclosure

Answer 12

Danger of widespread starvation caused long-term social problems for authorities.

The government tried to maintain social stability, while at the same time, accepting responsibility for poor relief and welfare.

The government did not wish to see smallholders evicted as they would cause reprisals and clamour

Question 13

…pt2

Answer 13

Enclosures were seen as the major economic distress and instability and the government tried to pass laws against the practice.

Parliment, representing land interest, often blocked such legislations. When anti-enclosure acts were passed, the local magistrates were landowners themselves so they refused to enforce them.

Question 14

New concepts of gentility and opportunity for social advancement 1554-1570.

Answer 14

.

Question 15

What is meant by ‘Gentry’?

Answer 15

People of good social position, specifically the class of people next below the nobility in position from birth.

Question 16

What is meant by ‘Nobility’?

Answer 16

Those people who are ranked placed below the monarch and above the common people.

Question 17

The great chain of being

Answer 17

The belief that God had ordained that everybody was born in a specific place in the strict hierarchy of society and had a duty to remain there.

Question 18

Nobility and gentry.

Answer 18

Tensions rising from the population increase and the re-distribution of land following the dissolution of monastries.

The number of nobles and gentry remained fairly consistent between 1500-1550. The gentry class made up about 1% of the population - 4500 families according to Wolseys survey in 1524

Question 19

…pt2

Answer 19

The re-distribution of church land and the consequent dissolution of monastries had mostly reinforced the existing positions of nobles and gentry.

Some Nobles fell from power, typically because of Royal disfavour. The De La Pole family (York Supporters). And other families fell from power due to their inability to produce a male heir.

Question 20

…pt3

Answer 20

They continued to hold roughly 10% of available land for cultivation.

Henry VIII created the most peerages in the 1530s.

Increase of Knights (leading gentry families)m
300-600 during the Tudor period.

Question 21

Thomas Smith [1965] classes.

Answer 21

Tudor society was divided into four classes.

Gentlemen,
Urban Elite.
Yeoman,
Laborers.

Question 22

Thomas Smith - Gentlemen.

Answer 22

Smith was one of them. He split them into 2 groups.

Upper ‘Nobilitas major’ - inherited title and dignity of knighthood.

Lower ‘ Nobilitas minor’ - self made members.

Question 23

Urban Elite

Answer 23

Citizens and burgesses of large towns and cities. This group included merchants, retailers and craftsmen.

They usually made their wealth by trade.

Question 24

Yeoman

Answer 24

‘Next onto Nobility, knights and squires’. They were ‘freeman born English’.

Smith considered them a more significant group than the urban elite, who he felt did not fit easily into the rural framework.

Question 25

Laborers.

Answer 25

Fay laborers, poor husbands. They had no authority in commenwealth, no accounts were made for them.

Question 26

The Rural elites

Answer 26

Economic decline meant that landowners had to sell part of their land, and lease out the remainder of it.
This temporarily lowered the social prestige of the nobility.This also created an active land market, which widened the availability of land.

Significant redistribution of land - considering price rises after 1500, the gentry benefitted from such increased.

Question 27

The changing role of the Welsh gentry after the Acts Of Union

Answer 27

.

Question 28

The Welsh Gentry

Answer 28

The Elizabethan age saw the emergence of the gentry class as the dominant force in social and political life in Wales.

The families engages in careful marriages, occupied important local government positions, e.g, posts of Deputy Lieutenant.

Question 29

The Wynn family

Answer 29

Katherine’s 3rd husband Marcus Wynn was the Sheriff of Caernavorshire. Before he married Katherine, he had a son, John, by a previous marriage, who succeeded his fathers estate in 1580, with the family being one of the most influential in Wales.

Question 30

Sir John Wynn of Gwydr 1553-1626

Answer 30

As a leading member of the Gentry class, John was able to use his status to occupy important positions:

1608- Appointed as a ;knight’ and was a member of the council of Wales and the Marches.

Question 31

Katherine of Berain 1534-1591

Answer 31

Perfect example of how careful marriages were used to enhance one’s wealth.

She married 4 times into the best families in North Wales.

1st marriage - John Salsbury
2nd marriage - Sir Richard Clough of Denbigh
3rd marriage - Morus Wynn
4th marriage - Edward Thelwell

Question 32

Wales before the act of Union

Answer 32

Most gentry were rural and welsh speaking.

Rowland Lee’s letter to Thomas Cromwell - declared that the Welsh gentry was far more inferior than the English, not yielding an income that comes close to that of England.

Hit by inflation.

Question 33

After acts of union

Answer 33

Endorsed trends that it set in motion regarding office holding, estate building and new code of conduct.

Women increased in power - Katherine contributed to this.

During Elizabeth’s reign, the Welsh Gentry became a powerful force. They dominated political and social life through building fortunes and creful marriages.

Question 34

The growth of towns, trade and industry.

Answer 34

.

Question 35

Trade

Answer 35

North east passage.
In 1553, the start of Mary I’s reign, Willoughbly and the Chancellor had sailed the North-east passage and found their route blocked by ice. However, a profitable trade with Russia started with the creation of the Muscovy company.

Question 36

Trade pt2

Answer 36

Africa and slave trade with the West indies.
1562, John Hawkings went to Africa to sell cloth and trinkets. He then captures locals and took them as slaves to West Indian islands. He was able to bring home money and sugar. Profits meant that he wanted to repeat this many times.

Second voyage was successful, the third wasn’t, Hawkings barely escaped.

Question 37

Cloth

Answer 37

1558- largely confined with the Antwerp, where Merchant Adventures had their base.

Question 38

Towns

Answer 38

Very fewer in numbers compared to today. They were usually tight packed with buildings and narrow streets.

Many towns were attached to castles so that the civilians were surrounded and defended by high walls. They didn’t want the Welsh to come in.

Plagues and diseases were taking over towns. Crime was also a growing problem.

Question 39

Towns pt2

Answer 39

Urban crisis - worsened unemployment.

London was 6x larger than its rivals Bristol and Norwich. Only 7% of the country;s population lived in towns of over 5000 inhabitants.

Question 40

Industry

Answer 40

Cloth industry.
Key industry in England ‘kept idle and poor hands busy’.

Ship building industry also expanded, opened new job opportunities. Coal and iron also. And fishing.

Question 41

Developments in Landholding and the creation of landed estates.

Answer 41

.

Question 42

What is tenure?

Answer 42

The relationship between the Lord and tenant.

Question 43

What is a tenant?

Answer 43

Someone who owns the land or property of a Lord

Question 44

Developments in Landholding and creation of estates.

Answer 44

As population rose, so did demand for land and the opportunity to sell it. However, access to land became restricted.

Within small arable communities, the number of holdings diminished as they were engrossed.

Question 45

Why did the number of holdings decrease in arable communities?

Answer 45

Within many arable communities, the number of holdings diminished as they were engrossed, price pressure made small holdings uneconomic.

No livelihood was to be made out of substinence farming

Question 46

Why did landlords increase rent?

Answer 46

Both population prices and inflation stimulated landlords to increase rents.

Question 47

What is tenure?

Answer 47

Tenure, which is the relationship between the landlord and the tenant, was informed by ideas of custom and contract and was regulated by the law. Tenants has recourse to the course to defend their position against the Lords.

Question 48

The 4 types of Tenure :

Answer 48

…..

Question 49

Freehold

Answer 49

In which the freeholder had as near a right of absolute possession as the law allowed while paying a fixed and Natural rent

Question 50

Annual contracts

Answer 50

Whose rent varied from year to year : these were tenants ‘on the rack’ (stretched as far as they could be)

Question 51

Contractual tenancies - leaseholds

Answer 51

Negotiated for a fixed period of time in an open market. The Lord could accept the best rent he could secure : under no obligation to his previous tenant.

Question 52

Customary tenancies

Answer 52

Tenants held according to the custom of the manor. For example, copyhold of inheritance and tenant right.

Question 53

What was the different in the implications of these tenures for landlords ?

Answer 53

Lords with leaseholds could take advantage of the rising demand for land in time overcome the worst effects of inflation. Lords with customary tenants had an asset which yielded less and less overtime.