This page intentionally left blank 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