Gentry Leaders In Peace And War

The Gentry Governors of Devon in the Early Seventeenth Century

By (author) Mary Wolffe

Publication date:

01 December 1997

Length of book:

320 pages

Publisher

University of Exeter Press

Dimensions:

234x156mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9780859895132

The great strength of the government of Devon in the early seventeenth century lay in the quality of its leaders. They ruled together in harmony, free from rivalries for supremacy, free from the influence of any powerful resident nobles and saved from religious conflicts by the pacific Bishop Hall. Confident of their ability to rule the county and prepared to introduce innovative methods, even in the judicial sphere, they achieved a high level of competent administration. They gave the King loyal service but were also prepared to be outspoken over the difficulties his policies caused them.

This book emphasizes this strength by describing much of the administration through a series of biographical studies, each biography covering the whole life of the subject and so relating service in peacetime to actions during the civil war. In this way the book describes the government of Devon in the early seventeenth century through the eyes of its administrators and helps us to understand the whole class of gentry leaders.

Illustrations

Preface

Abbreviations

Part I: The Gentry Government of Devon 1625-1640

1. The Setting for the Gentry Government

2. The Collegiality of the Devon Bench from 1625 to 1640

3. Ancient and Modern Divisions in the Localities

4. The Devon Justice of the Peace at Work

5. The Gentry as Royal Tax Collectors

Part II: The Gentry Governors of Devon in the Early Seventeenth Century

6. Sir George Chudleigh: His Rise to Prominence in the County

7. Sir George Chudleigh: Gentry Governor and Reluctant Rebel

8. Richard Reynell of Creedy: The Diligent Justice of the Peace

9. Walter Yonge: The Puritan Diarist

10. The Ship Money Sheriffs

11. John Willoughby: A New Class of Justice of the Peace

12. The Character of the Gentry Government of Devon

Notes

Bibliography

Index

"Dr Wolffe offers a well-researched and positive contribution to appreciation of the local dimension of early Stuart government. Her pertinent questions elicit thoughtful and stimulating answers. Gentry Leaders enhances the burgeoning historical list of the University of Exeter Press." (Cathedral News, February 1998)

"A well-researched and positive contribution to appreciation of the local dimension of early Stuart government. Her pertinent questions elicit thoughtful and stimulating answers." (Exeter Cathedral News, February 1998)