HOW EFFECTIVELY WERE THE LOCALITIES GOVERNED?

• Middle ages - marcher regions, own laws and customs, 1st line of defence, nobility in areas = quasi-kings
• Crown controlled principality of Wales, before 1530s = had own legal system, possible to commit crime in one lordship then exile to another
• Welsh law - continuation of blood fueds
• Control needed to control nobility e.g. Duke of Buckingham had claim to throne, tried to visit Welsh estates with over 400 men, executed for treason in 1521
• Before 1530s, tried to use Council of Wales and Marches to get control - council based at Ludrw Castle headed by members of royal family e.g. Jasper Tudor
• 1501 - Prince Arthur sent to Wales to become Prince of Wales, died in 1502
• 1525 - Henry VIII sent Mary as figuehead of CoW (1528 returned to London)

• North - remote, poor communication, under threat of invasion by Scotlans
• North Marches in 3 = Western, Middle, Eastern - controlled by wardens
• Henry VII - vulnerable to invasion from north e.g Yorkshire loyal to Richard III
• Economic hardship - 1489 tax revolt in Yorkshire, Earl of Northumberland (money collector) killed, Earl of Surrey LL in north until 1499, power reverted to wardens
• Henry VIII - key noble families: Dacres, Cliffords, Percys and Nevilles (needed for 1st line of defence, no peace between them
• 1525 - attempt to revive Council of the North - failed

1535

• Cromwell introduced 1st Act, passed by parliament in 1536 (Act of Union)

Changed Welsh govt. structure:

• Principility of Wales and Marcher lordships abolished, replaced with 12 counties
• English sytle govt. system introduced - shriffs, coroners
• Banned use of Welsh system in courts
• Each county and town allowed to allocate 2 MPs to sit in English parliament
• End of traditional military power of marcher lords

1542

• Introduced system of English law in Wales, end of traditional Welsh system incl, blood fued
• News system of law courts - courts of great session - held twice a year
• Recognised Council of Marches (CoW more formal body with President and Vice President appointmed by monarch)
• Right to hear legal cases and oversee law and order in Wales and marcher counties (under Elizabeth - LL

• Oct 1536 - rebellion in Lincolnshire and northwards (failed)
• Cromwell remodelled council in 1537 - powers to hear and decide cases of treason, murder and felony
• Council - voice of govt. in LDN, ordersaw food supplies, enforced royal proclamations, regulated trade, organised local musters for military campaign
• Council governed - Yorkshire, Durham, Northumberland, Westmorland, Cumberland
• Permanent HQ in York
• President of Council either bishop/member from South/Midlands e.g. 1538-1540 = Bishop of Llandaff-  no interests in decisions and impartial when dealing with disputes
• Rest of council - gentry, lawyers and clergy
• Councillors - increase power, appointed as Justices of Peace (JPs)
• Signalled long-term decrease of power from traditional northern lords
• Elizabeth I tried to put more Southerners into Council - rebellion 1569
• Council responsible for combating recusancy - North openly Catholic
• 1572 - Puritan Henry Hastings made President (Elizabeth's cousin)

Boroughs - towns with right to send 2 MPs to sit in parliament, granted by royal charter

• No. of boroughs increase - end of Elizabeth's reign = 191
• HoC increased from 296 to 462 / HoL decreased (under Elizabeth)
• MPs - Edward created 34, Mary = 25, Elizabeth = 62
• Some boroughs = rotten, lower population, no MPs
• New borough constituencies granted franchise e.g. Andover

Why did it increase?

• Pressure from towns - cooperation between townsmen and govt. e.g. Edward VI parliament cooperated with York to ensure laws passed which prevented woodland areas being chopped down within 25km of city
• Most MPs who represented boroughs not from town (Reformation 1529-36 = 50% townsmen / Elizabeth I = 23% in 1559, 14% in 1601)
• MPs - claim expenses to cover cost of sitting in parliament (claim 2 shillings a day) e.g. Dunwich in 1559 accepted Sir Edmund Rowse as an MP as he would pay his own expenses

• Many local gentry who became MPs - controlled by member of nobility/monarch
• As parliament grew and powers increased, monarch needed to ensure MPs obeyed Crown's wishes
• Most powerful noblemen under Henry VIII, Duke of Norfolk - able to get his clients elected as MPs obeyed Crown's wishes
• Most powerful noblemen under Henry VIII, Duke of Norfolk able to get own clients elected as MPs e.g. Great Yarmouth, Castle Rising and Reigate
• Boroughs - ensure interests looked after in parliament
• Nobility able to place clients in power to increase their influence
• Monarchs - ensure MPs in commons did what they were told
• Ambitious nobility and gentry wanted new opportunities e.g. new borough of Newton in Isle of Wight created in 1584 due to Sir George Carey (Elizabeth I's cousin)
• New boroughs controlled by crown e.g. Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster
• Crown could place own candidates in parliament

• Literacy rates increased among yeomen
• Growth of humanist ideas led to creation of grammer schools for boys - girls from wealthy backgrounds taught at home
• Public grammer school open to rich and poor boys - taught reading, writing, English and Latin grammer
• 'English' school created also, taught everything but Latin
• Oxford student no. increased from 1,150 (1550) to 2000 by end of period
• Under 1/2 nobility and gentry - rest yeomanry
• Literacy rates = sign name in Church Court records
• Illiteracy rates men = 80% / Women = 98% in 1550
• 1600 = 72% / 92%
• 1530 = illiteracy rates higher in north than south
• Rebellions e.g. Cornish Rising (1497 and 1549) troubles mostly led by yeomen
• Norwich (1580s) illiteracy rates from from 60% to 30%
• Durham = 73% yeoma signed with a mark (1561-1631)
• Literacy rates increased among yeomen - began to be within govt.
• Roles = administration of Poor Law/voting in elections
• After Revolt of Northern Earls (1569) no serious rebellion attempted by yeomen