topic 4 economy trade and empire Flashcards
Enclosures key details
the land was made into big blocks of land and fenced, and was only reserved for the owner of the land
The rate of enclosure intensified in the 17th century as it was able to increase profits and was a good way to break the cycle of subsistence farming
Enclosures impact
- more efficient farming with fewer farmers as there was less crop duplication
-allowed for a separate pasture for animals to help breeding
-made it easier to innovate with stuff like crop rotation
-big social effects as more food output but fewer people in a job
crop rotation key detials
Several books were published in the 1640s explaining how land can be used more efficiently by rotating crops to help restore the nutrients in the soil. This meant fields didn’t have to be left unseeded for a year
Crop rotation would become big in the 1660s, with nitrogen-rich plants such as clover and cabbage being introduced to help
Crop rotation impacts
-increased amount of land available for use
-higher output of food
-Clover made many farmers start looking into pastoral farming as they would have ready-made food for sheep and cows, so this increased the amount of wool
- reduced the followed fields by 1.2 million from 1420
water meadows key details
Diverting water from a stream or river to a field with gates and dams to regulate the flow, the aim was to provide enough water to keep the land damp so grass could grow earlier so cows and other animals could feed on to
already been about for 100m but increased in 1625
Water meadows impacts
produced a lot of manure which could also be used to restore the fertility of the soil
-Animals could have more grass resulting in an increase of wool for sheep and an increase in the cloth trade
Market garden key details
began to develop in the early 17th century in the vicinity of London in places like Fulham. They were a specialized garden that solid fruit and veg to the people
Market garden impacts
helped encourage population growth as peopke in London were getting well fed
helped spur innovation
Specialized farming key details
With new techniques being used, it was understood may be better for different regions to specialize in different types of farming which were suited to local conditions . With the combination of national markets and roads coming into play, this became more prominent
Specialized farming impacts
helped national markets to develop
helped farmers focus on one area and be able to increase productivity overtime, increasing their money
growth of employment
There was small-scale unemployment due to enclosure; however, many workers in small-scale farms had a stable job and sometimes did extra work in the cloth industry to make enough money to feed their family
the settlement act made it easier to hire people from other parishes and fire them once the haverst was over
the settlement act 1662
The Poor Relief Act of 1662, also known as the Settlement Act, aimed to clarify which parish was responsible for providing poor relief to individuals. It established the concept of a person’s “legal settlement,” primarily based on their place of birth, and required parishes to provide relief only to those with a settlement within their bounds
captial investment in agriculture
In order to trial new techniques and experiment, investment was needed and often provided by the gentry
Due to deflation at the time, prices to produce were low, and big-scale farms were thriving; they didn’t see the point of selling to local markets for lower prices, so they looked more widely at national markets to get more money for their product
capital investment in order to increase productivity. In many parts of Britain, woodlands were cleared and converted to pasture. The most extensive land clearance took place in the fenlands of East Anglia, where 4,000 Dutch drainage experts were employed to bring the land under cultivation.
Things that capital investment helped with
buying new land
buying new crops
development of national markets
An increased population resulted in an increased demand for food, and the local markets were no longer fit for purpose. They were able to work with specialization and better communication and a better national fiance system
However, the national markets did not take off till later as they were restricted to only England as Scotland and Ireland didn’t face the same issues and stuck to the local markets, restricting trade
How did the cloth trade develop
population growth led to more people in the industry and providing more labour for the putting out system, which was a very effective system which created lots of cloth
The impact of the new drapries and Dutch immigration
Britain used to have to send cloth out for finishing touches such as dyeing as they didn’t have the skills However this was interrupted as the fashion change to new drapries much of Britain struggled with this change
Except for Colchester and Norwich with just over 1500 Dutch immigrants in COL, these immigrants were able to increase the cloth trade massively and increase new techniques, with the cloth trade employing over 40% of colchester towards the end of the century
putting out system
Subcontracting labour to those who are able to carry out work from home, merchants used to provide the raw materials and give it out through the putting out system
french huguenots
Many Protestant French moved over after Louis forced a switch to Catholicism they brought many skilled workers to the South, such as silversmiths and watchmakers
London population in the 17th century and then in 1700
400 000
575 000
Why did the London economy grow reasons?
- the banking and insurance companies were all based there
-center of the legal system - transport had improved to the area with investment in to roads
- became the most attractive place to work including skilled workers
- many markets to be a hive of trade
banking timeline
1571 Royal Exchange is opened
1636 first money scrivening firm is established
1640 Charles seizes gold from Tower of London, causing merchants to invest with goldsmith bankers
1650 First London Coffee House
1688 edward lloyd opens his coffee house in London
Why were national markets slow to become a thing
-In 1625 Britain had not established a single national economy.
Difficulties with communications, coupled with the absence of strong commercial enterprises, meant that regional economic activity was centred around market towns where local produce and livestock were bought and sold. Industrial activity was also regional, linked to areas where raw materials were easily accessible. Manufacturing of goods was not carried out in factories, but in houses or outbuildings in rural areas.
gold smith bankers
the second half of the 17th century saw a risw in goldsmith bankers who forged items out of gold meaning they had a strong safe to store the items in. the other option was storing in the royal mint but when charles seized large stores of gold from their it meant it was safer to leave it with gold smiths
meaning the amount of goldsmith went from 32 to 44 between 1660-67
