THE POLITICS OF SOCIAL CONFLICT: The Peak Country, 1520-1770

375 Pages·2001·2.4 MB·English

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THE POLITICS OF SOCIAL CONFLICT
THEPEAKCOUNTRY,1520–1770
Thisbookprovidesanewapproachtothehistoryofsocialconflict,popularpolitics
and plebeian culture in the early modern period. Based upon a close study of the
Peak Country of Derbyshire between c. 1520 and 1770, it has implications for
understandingsofclassidentity,popularculture,riot,customandsocialrelations.
A detailed reconstruction of economic and social change within the region is
followedbyanin-depthexaminationofthechangingculturalmeaningsofcustom,
gender,locality,skill,literacy,oralityandmagic.Thelocalhistoryofsocialconflict
sheds new light on the nature of political engagement and the origins of early
capitalism. Important insights are provided into early modern social and gender
identities, civil war allegiances, the appeal of radical ideas and the making of the
Englishworkingclass.Mostofall,thebookchallengestheclaimthatearlymodern
Englandwasahierarchical,‘pre-class’society.
ANDYWOOD isLecturerinHistory,UniversityofEastAnglia

CambridgeStudiesinEarlyModernBritishHistory
Serieseditors
anthony fletcher
ProfessorofHistory,UniversityofEssex
john guy
ProfessorofModernHistory,UniversityofStAndrews
john morrill
ProfessorofBritishandIrishHistory,UniversityofCambridge,
andViceMasterofSelwynCollege
Thisisaseriesof monographsandstudiescoveringmanyaspectsofthehistoryof
the British Isles between the late fifteenth century and early eighteenth century. It
includestheworkofestablishedscholarsandpioneeringworkbyanewgeneration
ofscholars.Itincludesbothreviewsandrevisionsofmajortopicsandbookswhich
openupnewhistoricalterrainorwhichrevealstartlingnewperspectivesonfamiliar
subjects. All the volumes set detailed research into broader perspectives and the
booksareintendedfortheuseofstudentsaswellasoftheirteachers.
Foralistoftitlesintheseries,seeendofbook.

THE POLITICS OF
SOCIAL CONFLICT
The Peak Country, 1520–1770
ANDY WOOD
         
The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom
  
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 2RU, UK
40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011-4211, USA
477 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207, Australia
Ruiz de Alarcón 13, 28014 Madrid, Spain
Dock House, The Waterfront, Cape Town 8001, South Africa
http://www.cambridge.org
©Andy Wood 2004
First published in printed format 1999
ISBN 0-511-03823-2 eBook (Adobe Reader)
ISBN 0-521-56114-0 hardback
CONTENTS
Listoffigures page x
Listoftables x
Listofmaps xi
Preface xiii
Listofabbreviations xvi
Introduction ‘Termswedidnotunderstand’:landscape,place
andperceptions 1
1 SocialrelationsandpopularcultureinearlymodernEngland 10
Classandsocialhistory 10
RethinkingclassinearlymodernEngland 18
Localculturesandpopularcultures 26
PartI Thestructuresofinequality
2 EconomyandsocietyinthePeakCountry,c.1520–1570 41
Technologyandindustry 41
Land,wealthandcommunity 45
Landscapeandpopulation 53
3 Industrializationandsocialchange,c.1570–1660 57
Populationchangeandtechnologicalinnovation 57
Enclosureandcommonright 66
Theminingindustryanditsworkforce 72
4 ThePeakCountryasanindustrialregion,c.1660–1770 89
Theeconomicsofregionalidentity 89
Theprioritiesofcapital 98
Povertyandlabour 102
vii
viii Contents
5 Socialconflictandearlycapitalism 113
ThePeakCountryandtheIndustrialRevolution 113
Customandeconomicchange 116
PartII Theconditionsofcommunity
6 ‘Thememoryofthepeople’:custom,lawandpopularculture 127
Custom,lawandpopularcultureinearlymodernEngland 127
‘Timeoutofmemorieofman’:miningcustomintheearly
sixteenthcentury 137
‘Akindoflevellingcustom’:theopponentsoffreemining 143
Theusesofliteracy:speech,writingandcustom 150
7 Thepoliticsofcustom 163
Law,orderandthesenseofthepast 163
Gender,placeandtheconstructionofsocialidentity 169
8 Community,identityandculture 179
Gender,workandidentity 179
Communityandlocalculture 188
Thesupernaturalandtheunderworld 195
PartIII Thepoliticsofsocialconflict
9 ‘Pyllageupponthepooremynorz’:sourcesofsocialconflict,
1500–1600 203
Latemedievalquiescence 203
The‘troublesomepeople’oftheTudorHighPeak 209
10 ‘Allishurlyburlyhere’:localhistoriesofsocialconflict,
1600–1640 218
TheconfrontationoverfreeminingintheWapentakeof
Wirksworth 219
ThepoliticsofaparishandtheKing’sAttorney-General 223
The‘illegalcombinations’oftheHighPeak 231
Riot,litigationandfreeminingrightsintheHighPeak 238
11 ThePeakincontext:riotandpopularpoliticsinearly
StuartEngland 249
Redefiningpopularpolitics 249