Social change in Britain 1625-1701
- Created by: AMcGill
- Created on: 24-01-17 20:17
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- Social change in Britain 1625-1701
- Nobility
- Inherited property, land, and titles
- Fortunes declined over the century
- Controlled around 15% of country's wealth
- Gentry
- Lesser Gentry
- Eg: Oliver Cromwell
- Typical jobs included JPs, constables & judges
- Higher gentry
- Most likely MPs
- Increased in size by 300%
- Owned around 50% of country's wealth
- Accounted for 2% of population
- Nobility
- Inherited property, land, and titles
- Fortunes declined over the century
- Controlled around 15% of country's wealth
- Nobility
- Lesser Gentry
- Professionals and Merchants
- No. of merchants grew from 30,000 in 1588 to 64,000 in 1688
- Consequence of increased urbanisation and international trade
- London consumer boom also helped
- Consequence of increased urbanisation and international trade
- Merchants could be knighted for public service and commercial success
- Professionals could be doctors, lawyers, architects, bankers, or academics
- Possible for some to have equal or greater status than some in gentry
- No. of merchants grew from 30,000 in 1588 to 64,000 in 1688
- Labourers
- Avg. wage of £10 a year
- More jobs available due to multiplier effect owing to immigration-particularly towns like Cranbrook, Tenterden, and Maidstone
- Poor
- Settled Poor
- Vagrant Poor
- Initially illegal under 1601 poor laws to be a vagrant
- Changed by 1662 poor laws
- Could be punished by being sent to a workhouse, prison or even a colony for upto 7 years
- Initially illegal under 1601 poor laws to be a vagrant
- Faced difficulty because people were less willing to pay poor relief tax over time
- Hit hardest by mad inflation in the period
- 4% increase in prices for consumer goods a year in the early century-outstripping wage increases by 2 to 1
- Overall became poorer throughout century
- Nobility
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