Stewards, Lords and People: The Estate Steward and his World in Later Stuart England

300 Pages·1992·2.707 MB·English

by  D. R. Hainsworth

The landed estates were one of the fundamental structures of early modern
England. They were omnipresent, for they were not confined to the country­
side but penetrated into every borough and city. English society was
composed largely of landlords and tenants. It follows that to understand the
nature of this society the relationship between the two must be studied, and in
particular the role of the man who linked them: the estate steward.
Stewards, Lords and People analyses the role of the estate stewards in the
social mechanisms of later Stuart England. It is based on many years of
research among more than 10,000 letters exchanged by stewards and their
masters about estates as widely distributed as Northumberland and Corn­
wall, Cumberland and Sussex. Professor Hainsworth shows that the stew­
ards' labours tended to promote social harmony as they mediated between
lord and tenant, between town and country, and between 'national' and
provincial culture. No mere rent collectors, the stewards were entrepreneurs
exploiting mines and forests, mills and quarries. They were election agents,
almoners for their lords' charity, builders and developers of their mansions
and gardens, ambassadors among their lords' neighbours, and conduits of
their lords' patronage. Their regular reports, and their masters' responses,
provide a vivid and detailed picture of the social and political life of England
in the late Stuart era.

Cambridge Studies in Early Modern British History
STEW ARDS, LORDS AND PEOPLE
Cambridge Studies in Early Modern British History
Series editors
ANTHONY FLETCHER
Professor of Modern History, University of Durham
JOHN GUY
Professor of Modern History, University of St Andrews
and JOHN MORRILL
Lecturer in History, University of Cambridge, and Fellow and Tutor of Selwyn College
This is a series of monographs and studies covering many aspects of the history of
the British Isles between the late fifteenth century and the early eighteenth century. It
includes the work of established scholars and pioneering work by a new generation
of scholars. It includes both reviews and revisions of major topics and books which
open up new historical terrain or which reveal startling new perspectives on familiar
subjects. All the volumes set detailed research into our broader perspectives and the
books are intended for the use of students as well as of their teachers.
For a list of titles in the series, see end of book.
STEW ARDS, LORDS
AND PEOPLE
The estate steward and his world
in later Stuart England
D. R. HAINSWORTH
Associate Professor of History,
University of Adelaide
D CAMBRIDGE
•
UNIVERSITY PRESS
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, Sao Paulo
Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521364898
©Cambridge University Press 1992
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception
and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without the written
permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 1992
This digitally printed version 2008
A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication data
Hainsworth, D. R. (David Roger)
Stewards, lords and people: the estate steward and his world in
later Stuart England I D. R. Hainsworth.
p. cm. -(Cambridge studies in early modem British history)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0 521 36489 2 (hardback)
1. Real estate management -England -History. 2. Landlord and
tenant -England -History. 3. Manors -England -History. 4. England
-Social conditions -17th century. I. Title. II. Series.
HD604.H35 1992
333.3'22'0974209032 -dc20 91-30371 CIP
ISBN 978-0-521-36489-8 hardback
ISBN 978-0-521-05976-3 paperback
For Margaret Laura

CONTENTS
Preface page xi
List of abbreviations xv
Introduction 1
The rise of the estate steward 6
The steward's career 23
The whole duty of a steward 42
Between lord and tenant 48
Returns to London 75
The ambassador 108
Tending the interest 136
The almoner 159
Filling the pulpit 173
The constable: defending the manor 186
The constable: defending the forests 205
Exploiting the estate 222
The clerk of works 236
Master and man 251
A note on the manuscript sources 266
Index 271
IX