Social Impact of Religious & Economic Changes Flashcards
What were the changes in church appearance made under Edward?
- Altars were replaced by communion tables.
- The clergy was not to wear vestments (their liturgical robes).
- All gold and silver ornaments were removed.
- In 1547 iconoclasm (destroying images) swept across some churches. Somerset banned images from churches.
- This was unsettling for the laity.
Did Protestantism spread under Edward?
Yes;
- Under Somerset, press censorship had been relaxed. This led to a rise in pro-Protestant pamphlets spreading the Protestant message.
- By 1553, the educated elites were more likely to be Protestant (but by no means all).
- The reach of Protestantism was still patchy. Protestant strongholds included London and the south-east of England.
Was Edward’s religious reform consistent?
No, which shows that there was still internal division amongst key Protestant reformers.
How was religious reform inconsistent?
- Can be seen in the difference between the 1549 and 1552 Prayer Book (the latter being more aggressively Protestant).
- Whilst there was considerable theological change, the ordinary layman mostly noticed the visible changes to the Church.
Was religious reform under Edward successful?
- After his death, Protestants championed Edward VI for his vigorous reforms and used his example to pressure monarchs, such as Elizabeth I.
- But Edward VI’s Reformation was driven by a small group of Church ministers (such as Cranmer).
- Historians such as Haigh argue that most people were reluctant recipients of Protestantism.
What social problems were there under Edward?
The 16th century saw significant population growth, leading to rising prices and falling wages. This contributed to problems such as unemployment, poverty, and vagrancy.
What was the impact of population increase?
- There was a boom in the cloth industry and the price of food rose.
- Pressure on land led to increased rents but wages fell.
What is vagrancy?
This means being homeless without a regular source of income.
Why did vagrancy increase?
In response to problems in the countryside, such as enclosure.
What was Somerset’s response to vagrancy?
Somerset passed the Vagrancy Act in 1547. This stated that:
- Any able-bodied person out of work for more than three days was to be branded with a V and sold into slavery for two years.
Was the Vagrancy Act successful?
No. It was very unpopular and never put into effect.
What was Northumberland’s response to vagrancy/the poor?
A new Poor Law was passed in 1552. Parishes had to raise money to look after the deserving poor (those too old, too young or too ill to work).
What is enclosure?
Enclosure is a process where landowners put small areas of land into one big farm. Using new farming techniques, made the farms more productive and profitable.
What is the problem with Enclosure?
- Sheep farming was becoming more popular, with some wealthy landowners having flocks well over 10,000 strong.
- In response to higher food prices, some landowners (particularly in London, East Anglia, Kent, Surrey and Sussex) began to enclose land.
- This damaged the livelihood of small-scale and subsistence farmers.
How did Somerset respond to enclosure?
- In 1548 Somerset ordered an investigation (commission) into the legality of enclosure in the Midlands and southern England.
- It found that enclosed lands had led to poverty and vagabondage (having no permanent home or source of income).
