Reestablishment of the Council of the North and Wales Flashcards
North and Wales in the Tudor period
- Initially - the most distant and hard to control regions.
- The marcher regions developed their own laws and customs and they were the first line of defence against hostile invasions.
- Issue = the nobility in control gained enormous legal and military power (quasi-kings),
- Over the period, these traditional powers were eroded while extending royal control.
Wales in the Tudor Period
- By the 15th century - conquered by England with no threat of invasion. However, the government and marcher regions of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire remained out of step with England.
- Despite the Crown’s control over the Principality of Wales prior to 1530, Wales had its own legal system dependent on the local marcher lords’ powers and control and such areas had a tendency to lawfulness - possible that powerful military members may build power bases to challenge the monarchy (how Henry VII challenged Richard 3).
Pre-1530 attempts to try secure the marcher regions
- HVII used the Council of Wales and the Marches (1490s) - headed by members of the royal family and trusted nobles. EXAMPLE = Jasper Tudor was the Head of the Council (1490).
- HVII and HVIII sent their heirs to Wales to create a permanent presence in the region = Prince Arthur sent in 1501 but was unsuccessful, dying in 1502. Princess Mary gained her own court based at Ludlow in 1525 but returned by 1528.
The Law in Wales Act (1535)
Cromwell in 1534 began a process that led to perm changes - passed the first act in 1536 (Act of Union) to transform the structure of Welsh Govt.
- Appointed Rowland Lee to act as Lord Pres. of the Council of Wales - given powers to tackle crime and disorder in the region.
- Abolished the principality of Wales and the marcher lords - replaced with 12 English style counties.
- Introduced the English system of local government (sherriffs, coroners and JPs).
- Banned usage of Welsh in courts - only English allowed = interpretators used in remote regions where Welsh is often used.
- Elects 2 MPs per county to the Eng Parli Parliament - large change because before, the traditional Welsh regions had not participated in English law-making.
Main result of the Law in Wales Act (1535)
- Ended the traditional military powers of the Marcher lords, so for the rest of the period, Wales remained directly under the Crown control.
- Law and order improved and the region became less of a threat to political stability to the Tudor Government.
The Law in Wales Act (1542)
Despite Cromwell falling from power in 1540, the work continued to extend royal control.
- Introduced the English Law.
- Created courts of great sessions - held in each new Welsh county twice a year.
- Tried criminal cases (theft and physical attacks) with no right of appeal.
The Law in Wales Act (1542)
Council of Wales
Reorganised the Council of the Marches as the Council of Wales.
- Formalised body with a monarch-appointed president and vice-president - powers strengthened as it rested on the monarch and parliament’s authority.
- Powers = hearing legal cases (like the Eng Star Chamber) and overseeing law and order in Wales and the former marcher counties.
- By EI’s reign, the Marcher Council adapted to include the Lord Lieutenants.
Impact of the Law of Wales Act
Little trouble during the Tudor period - reform extended monarch’s power in a previously problematic region.
How was the North in the Tudor period difficult to control?
- Geographically remote with poor communications - constantly under threat of Scot invasion.
- Extensive border, splitting the Northern Marches into three; Western, Middle and Eastern, controlled by wardens responsible for their defence and keeping order.
- Control of this militarised zone where cross-border raids were common wasn’t easy.
Henry VII’s attempt to control the North
- Struggled - vulnerable to invasion from his rivals as an usurper. Some regions were particularly unsettled, like Yorkshire - loyal to Richard III.
- North suffered from economic hardship. The tax revolt in Yorkshire (1489) led to the murder of Henry Percy (Earl of Northumberland) who was in charge of money collection there.
- As Percy’s son was a minor, H7 used the opportunity to make Thomas Howard (Earl of Surrey) as Lieutenant - acted as a representative of the King until 1499, so the power reverted to the traditional northern nobility as wardens of the Marches.
Henry VIII issues in controling the North
- Apart from the experiment with the Earl of Surrey, the warden system continued until 1530.
- Key noble families: the Dacres, Cliffords, the Percys and the Neville Earls of Westmoreland - involved in complex feuds with each other and were considered unreliable to keep the peace.
- EXAMPLE = Lord Dacre was fined £1000 in 1525 by the Star Chamber for his tolerance of Northern disorder. However, as long as the threat of invasion remained - these men were necessary to provide the first line of defence.
How did Henry attempt to revive the Council of the North in 1925?
- Made Henry Fitzroy (illegitimate son) president of the Council - brought up at Sheriff Hutton Castle in Yorkshire. However, if Henry VIII planned to make his son deputy in the North, it failed as he died in July 1536.
- Not until the Pilgrimage of Grace (most serious rebellion) DID royal intervention in the Government of the North became more direct and permanent.
Reestablishing the Council of the North after supressing the Pilgrimage of Grace
Powers
Remodelled by Cromwell in 1537:
- Hear private cases between individuals, including cases of treason, murder and felony.
- The voice of the London Govt - responsible for passing all royal proclamations and orders made to sherrifs and JPs.
- Oversaw food supplies, regulated trade, organised musters for military campaigns.
- Extended authority to govern Yorkshire, Northumberland, Cumberland and Westmoreland and signalled its’ status by giving a perm HQ in York.
Changes to the council of the Structure and its members to extend the authority of the Council
- President was a Bishop or a member of nobility, often from the South or Midlands. E.G Robert Halgate from 1538-40. Therefore - no vested interests in decision-making and could remain impartial when dealing with local disputes.
- Members consisted of local gentry, lawyers and clergy, often from the area. Many served for long periods of time (Sir Thomas Gargrave 1545-79) and was given further power and knowledge of the region bc. they were also appointed as JPs.
- Arrangements encouraged a consistent approach to the Northern Government
Further changes by Elizabeth to the Council of the North which caused chaos
- Introducing more southerners caused resentment among the traditional nobility and the 1569 rebellion, showing that the Council wasn’t entirely in control of the North.
- Responsible for combating recusancy (refusing to go to Church) but the North was the most openly Catholic region - possible danger that northerners wouldn’t accept the Elizabethan settlement and would rebel (like 1569).
