How accurate is it to say that the social structure of Britain remained the same in the years 1625-
88?
Yes - stayed the same: Counter-arguments and Poverty
When civil war ended these roles were taken away again
These religious groups were minorities and died out without making a large impact (nothing
actually changed)
Protests always failed
Marriage Act was scarcely used as a church marriage was more beneficial for a man as he
received more power over his wife
Adultery Act was unfairly biased towards women, Devon: men = 10% of 255 charges in a 10
year period
Brank could be used to punish women for gossiping or being a nuisance
Women could be hanged (or burned at stake in Scotland) for witchcraft
Diggers died out
Levellers leaders were arrested 1649 and the movement was killed by the army
Locke wrote before the GR and wasn't necessarily calling for it
Bacon's ideas had little impact on society as a whole
Newton's discoveries changed nothing in every-day life
RS was not so influential in daily life of most of the population
Poverty, despite increasing, still remained - efforts include the 'Settlement Act' (certificates
etc…) but these meant many people were moved around without any aid or prohibited from
getting support, still needed more aid (Sir Cholmodley 1630s), 26,000 vagrants arrested
1630s, 1/4 pop was settled poor, many in Norwich faced poverty line as they were too
qualified and not enough jobs, inflation at 0.4% a year and agriculture struggled to support
increasing city population (2.5m to 5m in 160 years 1520-1680)
(BUT):
Industrialisation and changes to towns were positive
Poor law actually tried to help and differentiated what 'poor' was
Social change (Nobility decline, Gentry ascend, Merchants benefitted, Professionals created)
No - changed: Women and Politics
1642 - civil war - take over male roles (counter to traditional roles of housewife and mother)
e.g: Brilliana Harley directed forces to defend her estate, Lucy Hutchinson managed her
estate, Mary Banks commanded troops to protect Corfe Castle (royalist)
Puritans promoted female education as they wanted religion to be the centre of life and
women needed to help raise children with this in mind, Quakers promoted female education
and founded 4 girls schools, Diggers wanted female suffrage, Quakers want women to
speech in church and preach and Fox argued for the continuation of female activities
Protests - 6000 petitioned parliament for peace 1643, 10,000 signed Lilburne's petition to
release her husband and stated that women and men are made in God's image (failed)
Marriage Act 1653 has less rights over women
Adultery Act 1650 is for women and men
Diggers had incredibly revolutionary ideas (common ownership of means of production,
equality, universal suffrage, etc…)
Levellers wanted more male suffrage, abolition of HoL, and religious toleration - key in
Putney Debates 1647
BUT:
When civil war ended these roles were taken away again
, These religious groups were minorities and died out without making a large impact (nothing
actually changed)
Protests always failed
Marriage Act was scarcely used as a church marriage was more beneficial for a man as he
received more power over his wife
Adultery Act was unfairly biased towards women, Devon: men = 10% of 255 charges in a 10
year period
Brank could be used to punish women for gossiping or being a nuisance
Women could be hanged (or burned at stake in Scotland) for witchcraft
Diggers died out
Levellers leaders were arrested 1649 and the movement was killed by the army
No - changed: Philosophy and Science
Locke was anti-absolute monarchy and pro-democratic monarchy (his work 'Two Treatises
on Government' 1689 argued that people had the right to rise up against the gov/king if they
overstepped the mark, people need to have individual liberties, it was used to argue that the
Glorious Revolution 1688 was right)
Milton had similar views ('Defence of the English People' published 1651 and 1654 argued
that people had a right to depose and punish tyrannical Kings)
Bacon's ideas revolutionised scientific method to this day, influential in all fields (used by
Lord Falkland 1610-43 when he opened his house to thinkers to question problems facing
the church and concluded that religious toleration would be beneficial)
Newton was incredibly key in proceeding scientific thought (published Galileo's works on
heavenly bodies moving in relation to physics on earth - previously banned by Catholics -
and presented his findings on universal gravitation in '…Principa Mathematica' 1687)
Royal Society endorsed by Charles II 1660 (royal charter), 'invisible college' from 1645,
officially formed 1662, 'Philosophical Transactions' journal - 1661 (Malpighi and frog lung
capillaries), encouraged similar societies (French Royal Assembly and Prussian Royal
Assembly of Sciences 1700)
Harvey, Sydenham, Great Plague, treatment of Charles II
BUT:
Locke wrote before the GR and wasn't necessarily calling for it
Bacon's ideas had little impact on society as a whole
Newton's discoveries changed nothing in every-day life
RS was not so influential in daily life of most of the population
???
The changes to population and towns were the biggest social change in the years 1625-88?
Yes - Population and Towns
1520 the pop was 2.5m, 1680s the pop was 5m
Lots of migration after civil war and republic (religious toleration)
Norwich and Maidstone grew due to cloth trade (120 Dutch weavers 1585 in Maidstone -
apprenticeships, 35% Norwich pop was migrants by 1600)
London pop was 400,000 1650 (10x bigger than Norwich and Bristol)
9% pop lived in London by 1700
400% more demand for grain (benefitted agriculture)
BUT:
Poverty increased (26,000 arrested as vagrants 1630s)
Didn't impact much???
