PROBLEMS IN FOCUS SERIES Each volume in the 'Problems in Focus' series is designed to make available to students important new work on key historical problems and periods that they encounter in their courses. Each volume is devoted to a central topic or theme, and the mo'st important aspects of this are dealt with by specially commissioned essays from scholars in the relevant field. The editorial Introduction reviews the problem or period as a whole, and each essay provides an assessment of the particular aspect, pointing out the areas of development and controversy, and indicating where conclusions can be drawn or where further work is necessary. An annotated bibliography serves as a guide for further reading. TITLES IN PRINT The Wars of the Roses edited by A. J. Pollard The Reign ofH enry VIII edited by Diarmaid MacCulloch The Mid-Tudor Polity c.1540-1560 edited by Jennifer Loach and Robert Tittler the Reign of Elizabeth I edited by Christopher Haigh The British Problem, c. 1534-1707 edited by Brendan Bradshaw and John Morrill The Early Stuart Church, 1603-1642 edited by Kenneth Fincham Culture and Politics in Early Stuart England edited by Kevin Sharpe and Peter Lake The Origins of the English Civil War edited by Conrad Russell Reactions to the English Civil War 1642-1649 edited by John Morrill The Reigns of Charles II and James VII & II edited by Lionel K. J. Glassey Absolutism in the Seventeenth Century edited by John Miller Britain in the Age of Walpole edited by Jeremy Black British Politics and Society from Walpole to Pitt, 174 2-1789 edited by Jeremy Black Britain and the French Revolution edited by H. T. Dickinson Enlightened Absolutism edited by H. M. Scott Popular Movements, c. 1830-1850 edited by J. T. Ward Later Victorian Britain, 1867-1900 edited by T. R. Gourvish and Alan O'Day The Revolution in Ireland, 1879-1923 edited by D. G. Boyce Britain Since 1945 edited by T. R. Gourvish and Alan O'Day Series Standing Order If you would like to receive future titles in this series as they are published, you can make use of our standing order facility. To place a standing order please contact your bookseller or, in case of difficulty, write to us at the address below with your name and address and the name of the series. Please state with which title you wish to begin your standing order. (If you live outside the United Kingdom we may not have the rights for your area, in which case we will forward your order to the publisher concerned.) Customer Services Department, Macmillan Distribution Ltd Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS, England The Origins of the English Civil War EDITED BY CONRAD RUSSELL MACMILLAN © Conrad Russell, Michael Hawkins, L. M. Hill, Nicholas Tyacke, Robin Clifton, P. W. Thomas, Penelope Corfield, M. J. Mendle, J. H. Elliott 1973 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London WI P 9HE. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. First published 1973 by MACMILLAN PRESS LTD Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and London Companies and representatives throughout the world ISBN 978-0-333-12400-0 ISBN 978-1-349-15496-8 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-15496-8 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. 15 14 13 12 II 10 9 8 03 02 01 00 99 98 97 96 Contents Table of Events vii Preface ix Introduction I CONRAD RUSSELL SECTION ONE I The Government: Its Role and Its Aims 35 MICHAEL HAWKINS 2 County Government in Caroline England I625-I640 66 L. M. HILL 3 Parliament and the King's Finances 9I CONRAD RUSSELL SECTION TWO 4 Puritanism, Arminianism and Counter-Revolution 119 NICHOLAS TY ACKE 5 Fear of Popery I44 ROBIN CLIFTON 6 Two Cultures ? Court and Country under Charles I I68 P. W. THOMAS SECTION THREE 7 Economic Issues and Ideologies I97 PENELOPE CORFIELD 8 Politics and Political Thought I64o-I642 2I9 M. J. MENDLE 9 England and Europe: A Common Malady? 246 J. H. ELliOTT List of Abbreviations 258 Bibliography 259 References and Notes on Text 265 Notes on Contributors 280 Index 281 Table of Events I 588 Outbreak of war with Spain I6o3 Accession ofJ ames I I604 Hampton Court Conference; Parliament summoned; Bancroft appointed Archbishop of Canterbury Peace with Spain I605 Gunpowder Plot I6Io Failure of Great Contract I6I I Abbot appointed Archbishop of Canterbury I6I4 Addled Parliament I6I6 Beginnings of Buckingham's rise to power I6I8 OutbreakofThirtyYears' War I6I9 Synod ofDort: Arminian doctrine condemned in Holland, with full agreement of James I and English delegation I62I Parliament summoned I623 Prince Charles's and Buckingham's visit to Madrid I624 Parliament summoned; alliance of Buckingham and Charles with parliamentary leaders on basis of war with Spain. Case of Montague; beginning ofr ise ofA rminianism I625 March Death of James I; accession of Charles I; Buckingham remains favourite June Parliament summoned July First signs of impending quarrel between Buckingham and France August First parliamentary threats to impeach Buckingham October Oidiz Expedition: beginning of open war with Spain I626 York House Conference: public commitment by Buckingham to Arminianism Parliament summoned; attempted impeachment of Buckingham I627 Outbreak ofw ar with France; war with Spain continued La Rochelle Expedition Forced Loans I628 Parliament summoned; Petition of Right Assassination of Buckingham I629 New session of Parliament; tumult in the House of Commons; dissolution I630 Peace with France and Spain; birth of Charles's first child I631 BookofOrders Vlll TABLE OF EVENTS 1633 Laud appointed Archbishop of Canterbury 1634 First Ship Money writs 1637 Enforcement of new Scottish Prayer Book; rebellion in Scotland 1638 Decision in Hampden's Case: 7 judges rule in King's favour, 5 against 1639 First Bishops' War; failure to fight Scots; pacification of Berwick 1640 April-May Parliament summoned: the 'Short Parliament' May onwards Taxpayers' 'strike' August Second Bishops' War; Scots invade England, and win battle ofNewburn September Treaty of Ripon: Scots to be paid £850 a day until conclusion of peace treaty November Parliament meets: the 'Long Parliament' r64o-1 Nov.-April Unsuccessful negotiations for a settlement; Triennial Act 1641 May Death of Bedford; execution of Strafford; Crowds demonstrate outside House of Lords; unsuccessful plans for use off orce against Parliament June King forms intention of making separate peace with the Scots August King leaves London for Edinburgh September Treaty with Scots concluded; departure of Scottish army 1641 October Irish rebellion November King returns to London; publication of Grand Remonstrance begins open pamphlet war for popular support December Parliamentarians gain control of City Common Council; King considers use of force; riots outside House of Lords 1642 January Attempt to arrest the Five Members; Parliament takes refuge in the City; Parliamentarians gain control of City militia; King leaves London; Parliament returns to Westminster; passage of Militia Ordinance January-August 'The paper war': Remonstrances and Counter Remonstrances April Sir John Hotham shuts the gates of Hull against the King June The Nineteen Propositions August King raises his standard at Nottingham: the Civil War formally begun. Preface THE relations of authors and publishers, like those of men and women, rest on a mixture of mutual need, desire and incomprehension. An editor, then becomes a sort of marriage counsellor, devoted to the task of explaining the outlook of each party to the other. My greatest debt then is to the parties, for allowing themselves to be guided to the marriage now solemnised by the printers. My thanks are due to Mr. Derick Mirfin, of Macmillan, for his patience, understanding and perceptive suggestions and particularly for his tolerance of a lateness on delivery dates which authors share only with the shipping industry. My thanks are due to my contributors for their kindness and forbearance in adapting their work to the needs of the volume. In particular, I would like to thank Professor Lamar Hill and Mr. Michael Mendle for contributing at very short notice and Professor J. H. Elliott for writing his concluding review chapter at high speed during the 1972 power cuts. Since publishers, like early Stuart kings,. are suffering severely from the effects of inflation, we have found it necessary to accept a number of economies which have helped me to understand the unpopularity o( Lord Treasurer Cranfield. There has been severe pressure on the length of the book, and even more pressure to reduce the number of footnotes. The editorial ruling has been that footnotes must be kept for verbatim quotations, and for research discoveries. The chief casualties, then, have necessarily been those courteous bibliographical footnotes in which on~ acknowledges the use of a colleague's work. We hope that any colleagues who find their work drawn on itt this volume will appreciate that our gratitude is none the less because we have been unable to express it in a footnote. Spelling has been modernised throughout. I would lik~ to thank Professor G. E. Aylmer, Mr. J. P. Cooper, Mr. Derek Hirst, Mr. Horace Sanders and Mr. David Thomas for reading parts of the manuscript, and making a number of helpful suggestions and corrections, and Penelope Corfield for a number of stimulating debates which have helped to enrich the introduction and for reading most of the proofs. For any errors which remain, we alone are responsible. I would like to thank the Trustees of the Bedford Settled Estates for permission to quote from manuscripts in their possession, X PREFACE and Messrs. C. J. Sawyer & Co. of Grafton Street, for permission to quote from one of their sale catalogues. I would like to thank the librarians and archivists who have helped in the preparation of this book, and especially Mrs. M.P. G. Draper, of the Bedford Settled Estates, Mr. A. Andrews of Birmingham Reference Library, and Mr. P. J. Locke, of Huntingdon County Record Office. I would like to thank Mrs Audrey Cornwall, Miss Winifred Close and Miss Brenda Johnstone for their care, speed and accuracy in typing parts of this book. I would like to thank the Central Research Fund of the University of London for a grant towards the cost of work on the papers of the Earl of Bedford. Above all, I would like to thank my wife for her continued generosity in allowing me to pick her brains : she is the source of far more of the best ideas in this book than anyone except I will ever realise. In addition to inspiration, she has provided patient and detailed advice at all stages, and deserves more credit for the finished product than I can persuade her to admit. CONRAD RUSSELL