Urban Government and the Early Stuart State: Provincial Towns, Corporate Liberties, and Royal Authority in England, 1603-1640 (Studies in Early Modern Cultural, Political and Social History, 45)

Examines relations between centre and localities in seventeenth century England by looking at early Stuart government through the lens of provincial towns. This book investigates relations between centre and localities in seventeenth century England by looking at early Stuart government through the lens of provincial towns. Focusing particularly on incorporated boroughs, it emphasises the distinctive circumstances that shaped governance in provincial towns and the ways towns contributed to the state. Royal charters of incorporation legally defined patterns of self-government and local liberties in corporate boroughs, but they also created a powerful bond to the crown. The book argues that a dynamic tension between local autonomy and connection to the centre drove relations between towns and the crown in this period, as borough governments actively sought strong ties with central authority while also attempting to preserve their chartered liberties. It also argues that the 1620s and 1630s ushered in new patterns in the crown's relations with incorporated boroughs, as Charles I's regime hardened policies towards urban localities. Based on extensive original research in both central government records and the archives of a wide range of provincial towns, the book covers critical aspects of interaction between towns and the crown, including incorporation and charters, governance and political order, social regulation, trade, financial and military exactions, and religion. Front Cover 1 Contents 8 Figures 9 Acknowledgments 10 Editorial Conventions and Abbreviations 12 Location Map of English, Welsh, and Irish Towns Frequently Referenced 13 Introduction 14 Part 1 Governing Corporate Towns 24 1 Shaping the Body Politic: Charters of Incorporation and Early Stuart Government 26 2 Challenging Charters: Borough Corporations and Quo Warranto 63 3 Managing Division: Borough Government, Central Authority, and Municipal Elections 91 Part 2 Corporate Towns and the Business of Government 122 4 Governing Poverty and Disorder: Corporate Towns and Social Policy 124 5 Promoting Peace and Plenty: Corporate Towns and Trade 159 6 Paying the Price: Corporate Towns and the Burdens of the State 194 7 Defining Church and Corporation: Corporate Towns and Religious Policy 233 Conclusion 268 Bibliography 278 Index 300 STUDIES IN EARLY MODERN CULTURAL, POLITICAL AND SOCIAL HISTORY 326