The establishment of the post of Lord Lieutenant

Question 1

How was local government carried out before the mid-16th century? (4)

Answer 1

• Carried out by the nobility and gentry and, increasingly, the ‘middle sort’ (the yeomen and artisans)
• Presided over legal cases as Justices of the Peace (JPs)
• Collected taxation
• Local gentry and nobility were responsible for upholding law and order and raising armies to fight for the king

Question 2

When did the development of the post of Lord Lieutenant begin?

Answer 2

During the reign of Henry VIII

Question 3

Why did Henry establish the post of Lord Lieutenant?

Answer 3

Demands of foreign war and the threat of domestic rebellion

Question 4

In 1512 and 1545, what commissions did he give to the nobility?

Answer 4

To organise defence against the threat from France and Scotland

Question 5

In 1535, what commissions did Henry VIII issue?

Answer 5

To deal with the Pilgrimage of Grace rebellion

Question 6

The post of the Lord Lieutenant under Edward:

Answer 6

The Duke of Northumberland appointed members of the nobility as Lieutenants to deal with the trouble from rebellions

Question 7

What did Northumberland expect Lieutenants to have?

Answer 7

Both a policing and military role at local level

Question 8

Lord Lieutenant under Mary I?

Answer 8

Divided the country into ten lieutenancies, with each Lieutenant being responsible for the defence of their region and military recruitment.

Question 9

Why had Mary split the country into ten lieutenancies?

Answer 9

in response to the demands of war with France

Question 10

When had the splitting of the country into ten lieutenancies diminished?

Answer 10

In 1558 as the threat of French invasion had diminished

Question 11

Post of the Lord Lieutenant under Elizabeth:

Answer 11

Became a permanent one

Question 12

What was the development of the post of the Lord Lieutenant under Elizabeth prompted by?

Answer 12

Response to the war in Spain

Question 13

How were Lord Lieutenants appointed under Elizabeth?

Answer 13

Appointed to each county, together with a deputy to help them work

Question 14

How long did the war with Spain last?

Answer 14

Began in 1585 and lasted until 1604

Question 15

What was the Lord Lieutenant responsible for under Elizabeth? (3)

Answer 15

• Recruitment of the national militia
• Organise the mustering of all available men to fight in the wars
• Ensure armies were properly trained

Question 16

Why was the position of Lord Lieutenant particularly effective under Elizabeth?

Answer 16

• Harnessed the most powerful men in the country, the nobility, in the service of the Crown
• Directly answerable to the monarch and were raising troops for a national army, not for their own ‘private’ armies, as had been the case before 1585