Urban Government and the Early Stuart State: Provincial Towns, Corporate Liberties, and Royal Authority in England, 1603-1640

This book explores the relations between center and localities in seventeenth-century England by examining early Stuart government through the lens of provincial towns. It highlights the distinctive circumstances that shaped governance in these towns and the ways they contributed to the state. The book argues that a dynamic tension between local autonomy and connection to the center drove relations between towns and the crown, and that the 1620s and 1630s ushered in new patterns in these relations.

Format: Hardback
Length: 330 pages
Publication date: 12 April 2022
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd

This book delves into the intricate dynamics between the center and localities in seventeenth-century England by examining the early Stuart government through the lens of provincial towns. With a particular focus on incorporated boroughs, it sheds light on the unique circumstances that shaped governance in these towns and the significant role they played in the state. Royal charters of incorporation played a pivotal role in legally defining the patterns of self-government and local liberties in corporate boroughs, creating a strong bond between the towns and the crown. However, this bond also sparked a dynamic tension between local autonomy and connection to the center.

The book argues that this tension drove relations between towns and the crown during this period. Borough governments actively sought strong ties with central authority while simultaneously attempting to preserve their chartered liberties. This interplay resulted in a complex web of interactions, encompassing incorporation and charters, governance and political order, social regulation, trade, financial and military exactions, and religion.

Through extensive original research in both central government records and the archives of a wide range of provincial towns, the book provides a comprehensive analysis of these critical aspects of interaction between towns and the crown. It sheds new light on the complex dynamics and shifting relationships that characterized this period, offering valuable insights into the history and development of urban localities in seventeenth-century England.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781783276875