But the excitement caused by the French Revolution and the wars with Napoleon not only prevented any general movement of reform, but made it possible to enact the Six Acts and other stringent laws against agitation in that direction (S571). Finally, however, the unrepresented classes rose in their might (SS580-582), and by terrible riots made it evident that it would be dangerous for Parliament to postpone action on their demands. The Reform Bill—the "Great Charter of 1832"—swept away the "rotten boroughs," which had disgraced the country. It granted the right of election to many large towns which had hitherto been unable to send members to Parliament, and it placed representation on a broader, healthier, and more equuitable basis than had ever existed before (S582). It was a significant fact that when the first reformed Parliament met, composed largely of Liberals, it showed its true spirit by abolishing slavery in the West Indies. It was followed by the Municipal Reform Act of 1835 (S599). Later (1848), the Chartists advocated further reforms (S591), most of which have since been adopted.
In 1867 an act (S599), scarcely less important than that of 1832, broadened representation still further; and in 1884 the franchise was again extended (S599). A little later (1888) the County Council Act reconstructed the local self-government of the country in great measure.[2] It was supplemented in 1894 by the Parish Council Act (S600). The cry is now for unrestricted "manhood suffrage," on the principle of "one man one vote";[1] woman suffrage in a limited degree has existed since 1869 (S599).
[2] The "Local Government" Act: this gives to counties the management of their local affairs and secures uniformity of method and of administration. [1] That is, the abolition of certain franchise privileges springing from the possession of landed property in different counties or parliamentary districts by which the owner of such property is entitled to cast more than one vote for a candidate for Parliament.
32. Extension of Religious Liberty; Admission of Catholics and Jews to Parliament, Free Trade.
Meanwhile immense progress was made in extending the principles of religious liberty to all bodies of believers. After nearly three hundred years (or since the Second Act of Supremacy, 1559), Catholics were admitted in 1829 to the House of Commons (S573);and in the next generation, 1858, Jews were likewise admitted (S599). The Oaths Act of 1888 makes it impossible to exclude any one on account of his religious belief or unbelief (S599).
Commercially the nation has made equal progress. The barbarous Corn Laws (SS592, 594) were repealed in 1848, the narrow protective policy of centuries abandoned; and since that period England has practically taken its stand on unlimited free trade with all countries.
33. Condition of Ireland; Reform in the Land and the Church Laws; Civil-Service Reform; Education.
In one direction, however, there had been no advance. Following the example of Scotland (S513), Ireland was politically united to Great Britain (S562); at the beginning of the century when the first Imperial Parliament met (1801), but long after the Irish Catholics had obtained the right of representation in Parliament, they were compelled to submit to unjust land laws, and also to contribute to the support of the Established (Protestant) Church in Ireland. Finally, through the efforts of Mr. Gladstone and others, this branch of the Church was disestablished (1869) (S601); later (1870, 1881, 1903), important reforms were effected in th eIrish land laws (SS603, 605, 620).
To supplement the great electoral reforms which had so widely extended the power of the popular vote, two other measures were now carried. One was that of Civil-Service Reform, 1870, which opened all clerkships and similar positions in the gift of the government to the free competition of candidates, without regard to their political opinions (S609). This did away with most of that demoralizing system of favoritism which makes government offices the spoils by which successful political parties reward "little men for little services." The "secret ballot," another measure of great importance, followed (1872) (S609).
The same year, 1870, England, chiefly through Mr. Forster's efforts, took up the second measure, the question of national education. The conviction gained ground that if the working classes are to vote, then they must not be allowed to remain in ignorance; the nation declared "we must educate our future masters." In this spirit a system of elementary government schools was established, which gives instruction to tens of thousands of children who hitherto were forced to grow up without its advantages (S602). These schools are not yet entirely free, although the legislation of 1891-1894 practically puts most of them on that basis.
England now has a strong and broad foundation of national education and of political suffrage.
34. Imperial Federation; Labor enters Parliament; Old Age Pensions;Budget of 1910; Veto Power of the Lords.
The defeat of the Boers in the Great Boer War (1899-1902) led to the completion of the scheme of Imperial Federation, by the establishment of the Union of South Africa (1910) as the fourth of the self- governing colonies, of which Australia, New Zealand, and Canada are the other three.
In 1906, in the reign of Edward VII, organized Labor secured for the first time adequate representation in Parliament, through the overwhelming victory gained at the elections by the combined Liberal and Labor parties (S628). The "Laborites," as they are popularly called, claim that their influence obtained the passage of the Old Age Pensions Act of 1908.
Two years later the Liberal Government compelled the Lords to accept a Budget calling for an enormous increase of taxes imposed in large measure on land and incomes and levied partly for the purpose of paying the new pensions (SS629, 630).
The death of Edward VII, in the spring of 1910, brought George V to the throne. He came at a critical time. Mr. Asquith, the Liberal Prime Minister, was then demanding that the veto power of the House of Lords should be limited or practically abolished so that in future the House of Commons should be distinctly recognized as the dominant factor in the government (S631).
In the summer of 1911 Mr. Asquith succeeded in passing his Veto Bill restricting the power of the House of Lords, and making it impossible for that body to resist any measures the Commons should resolutely resolve to carry. He also passed the Salary Bill, by which members of the House of Commons are paid 400 pounds annually. Later, in 1911, he passed the Workmen's Compulsory Insurance Bill against sickness and unemployment. The worker contributes a small sum weekly, his employer does the same, and the Government gives the rest. The law applies to many millions of people and it is expected to do great good.
These facts show that while England remains a monarchy in name, it has now become a republic in fact. A sovereign reigns, but the People rule. The future is in their hands.
Abstract of the Articles of Magna Carta, 1215.
1. "The Church of England shall be free, and have her whole rights, and her liberties inviolable." The freedom of elections of ecclesiastics by the Church is confirmed. 2-8. Feudal rights guaranteed, and abuses remedied. 9-11. Treatment of debtorrs alleviated. 12. "No scutage or aid [except the three customary feudal aids] shall be imposed in our kingdom, unless by the Common Council of the realm."[1] 13. London, and all towns, to have their ancient liberties. 14. The King binds himself to summon the Common Council of the realm respecting the assessing of an aid (except as provided in 12) or a scutage.[1] 15, 16. Guarantee of feudal rights to tenants. 17-19. Provisions respecting holding certain courts. 20, 21. Of amercements. They are to be proportionate to the offence, and imposed according to the oath of honest men in the neighborhood. No amercement to touch the necessary means of subsistence of a free man, the merchandise of a merchant, or the agricultural tools of a villein; earls and barons to be amerced by their equals. 23-34. Miscellaneous, minor articles. 35. Weights and measures to be uniform. 36. Nothing shall be given or taken, for the future, for the Writ of Inquisition of life or limb, but it shall be freely granted, and not denied.[2] 37, 38. Provisions respecting land-tenure and trials at law. 39. "NO FREEMAN SHALL BE TAKEN OR IMPRISONED, OR DISSEIZED, OR OUTLAWED, OR BANISHED, OR ANY WAYS DESTROYED, NOR WILL WE PASS UPON HIM, NOR WILL WE SEND UPON HIM, UNLESS BY THE LAWFUL JUDGMENT OF HIS PEERS, OR BY THE LAW OF THE LAND." 40. "WE WILL SELL TO NO MAN, WE WILL NOT DENY TO ANY MAN, EITHER JUSTICE OR RIGHT." 41, 42. Provisions respecting merchants, and freedom of entering and quitting the realm, except in war time. 43-46. Minor provisions. 47, 48. Provisions disafforesting all forests seized by John, and guaranteeing forest rights to subjects. 49-60. Various minor provisions. 62. Provision for carrying out the charter by the barons in case the King fails in the performance of his agreement. 63. The freedom of the Church reaffirmed. Every one in the kingdom to have and hold his liberties and rights.
"Given under our hand, in the presence of the witnesses above named, and many others, in the meadow called Runnymede between Windsor and Stains, the 15th day of June, in the 17th of our reign." [Here is appended the King's seal.]
[1] These important articles were omitted when Magna Carta was reissued in 1216 by Henry III. Stubbs says they were never restored: but Edward I, in his Confirmation of the Charters, seems to reaffirm them. See the Confirmation; see also Gneist's "English Constitution," II, 9. [2] This article is regarded by some authorities as the prototype of the statute of Habeas Corpus; others consider that it is implied in Articles 39-40.
Confirmation of the Charters by Edward I, 1297.
In 1297 Edward I confirmed Magna Carta and the Forest Charter granted by Henry III in 1217 by letters patent. The document consists of sevent articles, of which the following, namely, the sixth and seventh, are the most important.
6. Moreover we have granted for us and our heirs, as well to archbishops, bishops, abbots, priors, and other folk of holy Church, as also to eaarls, barons, and to all the commonalty of the land, that *for no business from henceforth will we take such manner of aids, tasks, nor prises but by the common consent of the realm,* and for the common profit thereof, saving the ancient aids and prises due and accustomed.
7. And for so much as the more part of the commonalty of the realm find themselves sore grieved with the maletote [i.e. an unjust tax or duty] of wools, that is to wit, a toll of forty shillings for every sack of wool, and have made petition to us to release the same; we, at their requests, have clearly released it, and have granted for us and our heirs that we shall not take such thing nor any other without their common assent and good will; saving to us and our heirs the custom of wools, skins, and leather, granted before by the commonalty aforesaid. In witness of which things we have caused these our letters to be made patents. Witness Edward our son, at London, the 10th day of October, the five-and-twentieth of our reign.
And be it remembered that this same Charter, in the same terms, word for word, was sealed in Flanders under the King's Great Seal, that is to say, at Ghent, the 5th day of November, in the 25th year of the reign of our aforesaid Lord the King, and sent into England.
June 7, 1628
The Petition exhibited to His Majesty by the Lords Spiritual andTemporal, and Commons in this present Parliament assembled, concerningdivers Rights and Liberties of the Subjects, with the King's Majesty'sRoyal Answer thereunto in full. Parliament.
TO THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY: Humbly show unto our Sovereign Lord the King, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons in Parliament assembled, that whereas it is declared and enacted by a statute made in the time of the reign of King Edward the First, commonly called Statutum de Tallagio non concedendo,[1] that no tallage [here, a tax levied by the King upon the lands of the crown, and upon all royal towns] or aid shall be laid or levied by the King or his heirs in this realm, without the goodwill and assent of the Archbishops, Bishops, Earls, Barons, Knights, Burgesses, and other the freemen of the commonalty of this realm: and by authority of Parliament holden in the five and twentieth year of the reign of King Edward the Third, it is declared and enacted, that from henceforth no person shall be compelled to make any loans to the King against his will, because such loans were against reason and the franchise of the land; and by other laws of this realm it is provided, that none should be charged by any charge or imposition, called a Benevolence, or by such like charge, by which the statutes before-mentioned, and other the good laws and statutes of this realm, your subjects have inherited this freedom, that they shuld not be compelled to contribute to any tax, tallage, aid, or other like charge, not set by common consent in Parliament.
[1] A statute concerning tallage not granted by Parliament. This is now held not to have been a statute. See Gardiner's "Documents of the Puritan Revolution," p. 1. It is considered by Stubbs an unauthorized and imperfect abstract of Edward I's Confirmation of the Charters— which see.
Yet nevertheless, of late divers commissions directed to sundry Commissioners in several counties with instructions have issued; by means whereof your people have been in divers places assembled, and required to lend certain sums of money unto your Majesty, and many of them upon their refusal so to do, have had an oath administered unto them, not warrantable by the laws or statutes of this realm, and have been constrained to become bound to make appearance and give attendance before your Privy Council, and in other places, and others of them have been therefore imprisoned, confined, and sundry other ways molested and disquieted: and divers other charges have been laid and levied upon your people in several counties, by Lords Lieutenants, Deputy Lieutenants, Commissioners for Musters, Justices of Peace and others, by command or direction from your Majesty or your Privy Council, against the laws and free customs of this realm:
And where also by the statute called, "The Great Charter of the Liberties of England," it is declared and enacted, that no freeman may be taken or imprisoned or be disseized of his freeholds or liberties, or his free customs, or be outlawed or exiled; or in any manner destroyed, but by the lawful judgment of his peers, or by the law of the land:
And in the eighth and twentieth year of the reign of King Edward the Third, it was declared and enacted by authority of Parliament, that no man of what estate or condition that he be, should be put out of his lands or tenements, nor taken, nor imprisoned, nor disenherited, nor put to death, without being brought to answer by due process of law:
Nevertheless, against the tenor of the said statutes, and other the good laws and statutes of your realm, to that end provided, divers of your subjects have of late been imprisoned without any cause showed, and when for their deliverance they were brought before your Justices, by your Majesty's writs of Habeas Corpus, there to undergo and receive as the Court should order, and their keepers commanded to certify the causes of their detainer; no cause was certified, but that they were detained by your Majesty's special command, signified by the Lords of your Privy Council, and yet were returned back to several prisons, without being charged with anything to which they might make answer according to law:
And whereas of late great companies of soldiers and mariners have been dispersed into divers counties of the realm, and the inhabitants against their wills have been compelled to receive them into their houses, and there to suffer them to sojourn, against the laws and customs of this realm, and to the great grievance and vexation of the people:
And whereas of late great companies of soldiers and mariners have been dispersed into divers counties of the realm, and the inhabitants against their wills have been compelled to receive them into their houses, and there to suffer them to sojourn, against the laws and customs of this realm, and to the great grievance and vexation of the people:
And whereas also by authority of Parliament, in the 25th year of the reign of King Edward the Third, it is declared and enacted, that no man shall be forejudged of life or limb against the form of the Great Charter, and the law of the land: and by the said Great Charter and other the laws and statutes of this your realm, no man ought to be adjudged to death; but by the laws established in this your realm, either by the customs of the same realm or by Acts of Parliament: and whereas no offender of what kind soever is exempted from the proceedings to be used, and punishments to be inflicted by th elaws and statutes of this your realm; nevertheless of late divers commissions under your Majesty's Great Seal have issued forth, by which certain persons have been assigned and appointed Commissioners with power and authority to proceed within the land, according to the justice of martial law against such soldiers and mariners, or other dissolute persons joining with them, as should commit any murder, robbery, felony, mutiny, or other outrage or misdemeanour whatsoever, and by such summary course and order, as is agreeable to martial law, and is used in armies in time of war, to proceed to the trial and condemnation of such offenders, and them to cause to be executed and put to death, according to the law martial:
By pretext whereof, some of your Majesty's subjects have been by some of the said Commissioners put to death, when and where, if by the laws and statutes of the land they had deserved death, by the same laws and statutes also they might, and by no other ought to have been, adjudged and executed.
And also sundry grievous offenders by colour thereof, claiming an exemption, have escaped the punishments due to them by the laws and statutes of this your realm, by reason that divers of your officers and ministers of justice have unjustly refused, or forborne to proceed against such offenders according to the same laws and statutes, upon pretence that the said offenders were punishable only by martial law, and by authority of such commissions as aforesaid, which commissions, and all other of like nature, are wholly and directly contrary to the said laws and statutes of this your realm:
They do therefore humbly pray your Most Excellent Majesty, that no man hereafter be compelled to make or yield any gift, loan, benevolence, tax, or such like charge, without common consent by Act of Parliament; and that none be called to make answer, or take such oath, or to give attendance, or be confined, or otherwise molested or disquieted concerning the same, or for refusal thereof; and that no freeman, in any such manner as is before-mentioned, be imprisoned or detained; and that your Majesty will be pleased to remove the said soldiers and mariners, and that your people may not be so burdened in time to come; and that the foresaid commissions for proceeding by martial law may be revoked and annulled; and that hereafter no commissions of like nature may issue forth to any person or persons whatsoever, to be executed as aforesaid, lest by colour of them any of your Majesty's subjects be destroyed or put to death, contrary to the laws and franchise of the land.
All which they most humbly pray of your Most Excellent Majesty, as their rights and liberties according to the laws and statutes of this realm: and that your Majesty would also vouchsafe to declare, that the awards, doings, and proceedings to the prejudice of your people, in any of the premises, shall not be drawn hereafter into consequence or example: and that your Majesty would be also graciously pleased, for the further comfort and safety of your people, to declare your royal will and pleasure, that in the things aforesaid all your officers and ministers shall serve you, according to the laws and statutes of this realm, as they tender the honour of your Majesty, and the prosperity of this kingdom.
[Which Petition being read the 2d of June, 1628, th eKing gave the following evasive and unsatisfactory answer, instead of the usual one, given below.]
The King willeth that right be done according to the laws and customs of the realm: and that the statutes be put in due execution, that his subjects may have no cause to complain of any wrong or oppressions, contrary to their just rights and liberties, to the preservation whereof he holds himself as well obliged as of his prerogative.
On June 7 the King decided to make answer in the accustomed form, Soit droit fait comme est desir'e. [Equivalent to the form of royal assent, "Le roi (or la reine) le veult," meaning "the King grants it." On the Petition of Right, see Hallam and compare Gardiner's "England"; and his "Documents of the Puritan Revolution."]
The Bill of Rights, 1689.
This Bill consists of thirteen Articles, of which the following is an abstract. It begins by stating that "Whereas the late King James II, by the advice of divers evil counsellors, judges, and ministers employed by him, did endeavor to subvert and extirpate the Protestant religion, and the laws and liberties of this kingdom:" 1. By dispensing with and suspending the laws without consent of Parliament. 2. By prosecuting worthy bishops for humbly petitioning him to be excused for concurring in the same assumed power. 3. By erecting a High Commission Court. 4. By levying money without consent of Parliament. 5. By keeping a standing army in time of peace without consent of Parliament. 6. By disarming Protestants and arming Papists. 7. By violating the freedom of elections. 8. By arbitrary and illegal prosecutions. 9. By putting corrupt and unqualified persons on juries. 10. By requiring excessive bail. 11. By imposing excessive fines and cruel punishments. 12. By granting fines and forfeiture against persons before their conviction.
It is then declared that "the late King James the Second having abdicated the government, and the throne being thereby vacant," therefore the Prince of Orange ("whom it hath pleased Almighty God to make the glorious instrument of delivering their kingdom from Popery and arbitrary power") did by the advice of "the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and divers principal persons of the Commons "summon a Convention Parliament."
This Convention Parliament declares, that the acts above enumerated are contrary to the law. They then bestow the Crown on William and Mary—the sole regal power to be vested only in the Prince of Orange— and provide that after the decease of William and Mary the Crown shall descend "to the heirs of the body of the said Princess; and, for default of such issue, to the Princess Anne of Denmark[1] and the heirs of her body; and for default of such issue, to the heirs of the body of the said Prince of Orange."
[1] The Princess Anne, sister of the Princess Mary, married Prince George of Denmark in 1683; hence she is here styled "the Princess of Denmark."
Here follow new oaths of allegiance and supremacy in lieu of those formerly required.
The subsequent articles are as follows: IV. Recites the acceptance of the Crown by William and Mary. V. The Convention Parliament to provide for "the settlement of the religion, laws, and liberties of the Kingdom." VI. All the clauses in the Bill of Rights are "the true, ancient, and indubitable rights and liberties of the people of this Kingdom." VII. Recognition and declaration of William and Mary as King and Queen. VIII. Repetition of the settlement of the Crown and limitations of the succession. IX. Exclusion from the Crown of all persons holding communion with the "Church of Rome" or who "profess the Popish religion" or who "shall marry a Papist." X. Every King or Queen hereafter succeeding to the Crown to assent to the Act [i.e. Disabling Act of 1678 (S478)] "disabling Papists from sitting in either House of Parliament." XI. The King and Queen assent to all the articles of the Bill of Rights. XII. The Dispensing Power (S488, note 1) abolished. XIII. Exception made in favor of charters, grants, and pardons made before October 23, 1689.
The Act of Settlement, 1700-1701.[2]
Excludes Roman Catholics from succession to the Crown; and declares that if a Roman Catholic obtains th eCrown, "the people of these realms shall be and are thereby absolved of their allegiance." Settles the Crown on the Electress Sophia,[3] and "the heirs of her body being Protestants." Requires the sovereign to join in communion with the Church of England. No war to be undertaken in defence of any territories not belonging to the English Crown except with the consent of Parliament. Judges to hold their office during good behavior. No pardon by the Crown to be pleadable against an impeachment by the House of Commons (S488).
[2] This act, says Taswell-Langmead, is "the Title Deed of the reigning Dynasty, and a veritable original contract between the Crown and the People." [3] The Electress Sophia was the granddaughter of James I: she married the Elector of Hanover, and became mother of George I. See genealogical table of Descent of the English Sovereigns in the Appendix.
I. The Constitutions of Clarendon, 1164.
These measures (S165), says Bishop Stubbs, were "really a part of a great scheme of administrative reform." They were drawn up by a committee of bishops and barons, with the Justiciar or Chief Minister at the head. The object of the Constitutions was "to assert the supremacy of the State over clergy and laity alike." They limited the jurisdiction of the ecclesiastical courts; they established a more uniform system of justice; and, in certain cases, they provided for a kind of jury trial (see Stubb's "Constitutional History," I, 525; or, for a brief abstract of the Constitutions, see Acland and Ransome's "Political History," p. 24).
II. Bill of Attainder, 1321.
This was a bill (first used apparently in 1321) passed by Parliament, which might in itself decree sentence of death (SS351, 356). Originally, the blood of a person held to be convicted of treason or felony was declared to be *attainted* or corrupted so that his power to inherit, transmit, or hold property was destroyed. After Henry VIII's reign the law was modified so as not to work "corruption of blood" in the case of new felonies. Under the Stuarts, Bills of Attainder were generally brought only in cases where the Commons believed that impeachment would fail,—as in the cases of Strafford and Laud. It should be noticed that in an Impeachment the Commons bring the accusation, and the Lords act as judges; but that in a Bill of Attainder the Commons—that is, the accusers—themselves act as judges, as well as the Lords.
III. The Great Statutes of Praemunire, 1393.
This statute, (first passed in 1353) was reenacted in 1393 to check the power claimed by the Pope in England in cases which interfered with power claimed by the King, as in appeals made to the Court of Rome respecting Church matters, over which the King's court had jurisdiction. The statute received its name from th ewrit served on the party who had broken the law: "Praemunire facias, A.B."; that is, "Cause A.B. to be forewarned" that he appear before us to answer the contempt with which he stands charged. Henry VIII made use of this statute in order to compel the clergy to accept his supremacy over the English Church (SS265, 346, 348).
IV. Habeas Corpus Act, 1679.
The name of this celebrated statute is derived from its referring to the opening words of the writ: "Habeas Corpus ad subjiciendum." Sir James Mackintosh declares that the essence of the statute is contained in clauses 39, 40 of Magna Carta—which see. The right to Habeas Corpus was conceded by the Petition of Right and also by the Statute of 1640. But in order to better secure the liberty of the subject and for prevention of imprisonments beyond the seas, the Habeas Corpus Act of 1679 was enacted, regulating the issue and return of writs of Habeas Corpus.
The principal provisions of the Act are: 1. Jailers (except in cases of commitment for treason or felony) must within three days of the reception of the writ produce the prisoner in court, unless the court is at a distance, when the time may be extended to twenty days at the most. 2. A jailer, refusing ot do this, forfeits 100 pounds for the first offence, and 200 pounds for the second. 3. No one set at liberty upon any Habeas Corpus to be recommitted for the same offsense except by the court having jurisdiction of the case. 4. The Act not to apply to cases of debt.
V. Abstract of the Parliament Act (or Veto Act, S631), 18th August, 1911.
The Preamble states that "it is intended to substitute for the House of Lords, as it at present exists, a Second Chamber *constituted on a popular instead of hereditary basis,* but such substitution cannot be immediately brought into operation": therefore "it is expedient oto make such provision as in this Act appears for restricting the existing powers of the House of Lords" (i.e. the power of the Lords to veto bills sent them by the Commons).
1. If a Money Bill—that is, a Public Bill concerning taxation or the appropriation of money or the raising of a loan, etc.—shall be passed byy the House of Commons, but shall not be passed by the House of Lords, within one month, then it shall become law without the consent of the Lords.
2. If any Public Bill (other than a Money Bill or a bill providing for the extension of the maximum duration of Parliament beyond five years) shall be passed by the House of Commons in three successive sessions (whether of the same Parliament or not) and shall be rejected by the House of Lords in each of those sessions, "that Bill shall on its rejection for the third time by the House of Lords, unless the House of Commons direct to the contrary, become an Act of Parliament, without the consent of the Lords, provided that two years have elapsed since the Bill was introduced and passed by the House of Commons."
7. Five years shall be substituted for seven years as the time fixed for the maximum duration of Parliament under the Septennial Act of 1715[1] (S535).
See "The Public General Statutes," of Great Britain and Ireland, for 1911; Chapter 13, pp. 38-40.
[1] This date is usually given 1716.
VI. William the Conqueror's Charter to London (S107).
"William, the King, greets William the Bishop, and Gosfrith the Port-reeve [or chief officer of the city] and all the burghers [or citizens] within London, French and English, friendly: and I do you to wit that I will that ye twain be worthy of all the law that ye were worthy of in King Edward's day. And I will not endure that any man offer any wrong to you. God keep you."
Taswell-Langmead's "English Constitutional History," Chapter 1, p.18. E.A. Freeman, in his "Norman Conquest," IV, 29, says that William signed this charter with a cross (in addition to his seal, which was attached to the document), but Dr. R.R. Sharpe, in his "History of London and the Kingdom," I, 34, note 1, states that "this appears to be a mistake." Dr. Sharpe is the "Records Clerk" of the City, and he shows that there is no trace of any cross on the charter, which is now preserved in Guildhall Library, London.
1. Egbert (descended from Cerdic, 495), first "King of the English," H 828-837 2. Ethelwulf, 837-858 H H================================================= H H H H 3. Ethelbald, 4. Ethelbert, 5. Ethelred I, 6. Alfred, 858-860 860-866 866-871 871-901 H =======================*=============== H * * 7. Edward I, 901-925 15. Sweyn, the Dane, 1013 H | ========================== \________ H H H \ 8.Ethelstan 9. Edmund 10. Edred, 17. Canute, 925-940 940-946 946-955 1017-1035 H | ============ ————————————- H H | * | 11. Edwin, 12. Edgar 18. Harold * * 19. Hardicanute 955-959 959-975 1035-1040 Richard I 1040-1042 H Duke of Normandy H H ================*============= H============== H * * H H H 13.Edward II Elgiva, ? m. 14. Ethelred II, m. (2) Emma Richard II, 975-979 H 979-1016 H * Duke of 16. Edmund II =================H* * Normandy (Ironside), H Godwin, Earl H 1016-1016 20. Edward III, of Kent H H the Confessor, H H Edgar Atheling, 1042-1066, second ______H H grandson of Edward II cousin of William | H H [should have succeeded the Conqueror, m. Edith H H Harold II (No. 21)] H H 21. Harold II, H ——————————————- 1066-1066, slain H * This sign shows that the| at Hastings, 1066 H * * person over whose name | H it stands was not in the | Robert, Duke of Normandy direct line of descent. | H ——————————————- THE NORMAN KINGS 22. William the Conqueror 1066-1087, second cousin of Edward the Confessor (No. 20) m. Matilda of Flanders, a direct descendant of Alfred the Great, (No. 6) H ================================== H H H 23. William II, +24. Henry I, Adela 1087-1100 1100-1135 H H 25. Stephen Maud, or of Blois, Matilda, m. 1135-1154 (2) Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou H THE HOUSE OF ANJOU ++Henry II, 1154-1189 H =================================== H H H 27. Richard I Geoffrey 28. John (Lackland), (Coeur de Lion), H 1199-1216 1189-1199 Arthur, murdered H by John? 29. Henry III, 1216-1272 H ================================================= 30. Edward I, 1272-1307 H ———————————————————————- 31. Edward II, 1307-1327 | * The heavy lines indicate the Saxon or Early H | Norman sovereigns with their successors. 32. Edward III, 1327-1377 | + Henry I (No 24) m. Matilda of Scotland, a H | descendant of Edmund II (Ironside) (No 16). H |++ Henry II m. Eleanor of Aquitaine, the H | divorced queen of France, thereby acquiring H | large possessions in Southern France. H ———————————————————————- H ============================================================= H | H H Edward, the Lionel, Duke John of Gaunt Edmund Langley Black Prince of Clarence Duke of Lancaster Duke of York H | H————————— H 33. Richard Philippa, m. HOUSE OF LANCASTER | H II, 1377-1399 Edmund Mortimer 34. Henry IV, 1399- John Richard, | H 1413 Beaufort Earl of ————————— 35. Henry V, Earl of Cambridge, | 1413-1422, m.*_Somerset++ _m. Anne |——————— Catharine of / * * | Mortimer. | | Valois, who m. (2)Owen John Beau- (See +Edmund Mortimer Anne H / Tudor fort, Duke dotted Mortimer, m. - - -H- - - - H of Somer- line) 36. Henry VI, Edmund set H _______________________ 1422-1462, m. Tudor, | Richard, Duke *Richard II, before he| Margaret of Earl of | of York, d. 1460 was deposed, had named| Anjou Richmond, m. Margaret H Roger Mortimer as his | H H Beaufort. ========= successor, but Roger | Edward H HOUSE OF YORK died before the King | Prince of Wales H 37. Edward 39. Rich- +Edmund Mortimer, son | m. (?) Anne Neville H IV, 1461- ard III, of Roger Mortimer, | who later m. Richard H 1483 1483-1485 stood in the order of | H H m. Anne succession after Rich-| H ============ Neville** ard II, but his claim | HOUSE OF TUDOR H H was not allowed. He | 40. Henry VII, m. Elizabeth 38. Edward V died 1424. | ++1485-1509 of York (murdered in H the Tower by =================================———————— Richard III?), H H | 1483-1483 41. Henry VIII, 1509-1547, Margaret Tudor, Mary, m. m. (1) Catharine of Aragon, (2) m. James (Stuart) Charles Brandon Anne Boleyn, (3) Jane Seymour, IV, King of Scoland Duke of Suffolk (4) Anne of Cleves, (5) Catharine H | Howard, (6) Catherine Parr James (Stuart) V Frances Brandon, H H m. Henry Grey, Duke of ======================= &Mary Queen of Suffolk H H H Scots, beheaded, 1587 | 43. Mary (d. 44. Eliza- 42. Edward H Lady Jane Grey of 1), 1553-1558, beth (d. VI (s. of H (m. Lord Dudley), m. Philip II of 2), 1558- 3),1558- H beheaded, 1554 of Spain 1603 1553 H H HOUSE OF STUART 45. James (Stuart) I of England 1603-1625 H =============================================== H H 46. Charles I, Elizabeth, m. Frederick, Elector-Palatine 1625-1649++ H H Sophia, m. the Elector of Hanover =============================== H H H H HOUSE OF HANOVER 47. Charles II, 48. James II, Mary, m. William 51. George, Elector of 1660-1685 1685-1688 II of Orange Hanover, became George I H H of England, 1714-1727 ======================= 49. William III H H H H of Orange, became 52. George II, 1727- 49. Mary, 50. Anne, James William III of 1760 m. William 1702-1714 (the Old England, 1689- H III of Or- Pretender), 1702 Frederick, Prince of Wales ange, afterward b. 1688, (died before coming to the throne) William III of d. 1765 H England | 53. George III, 1760-1820 Charles, (the Young H Pretender), b.1720, d.1788 =============================== H H H 54. George IV, 55. William IV, Edward, 1820-1830 1830-1837 Duke of Kent, _________________________________________________ d. 1820 ++Henry VII (called Henry of Richmond and Henry | H of Lancaster): by his marriage with Elizabeth | 56. Victoria, of York, the rival claims of the houses of | 1837-1901 Lancaster and York were settled and the house of| H Tudor began. | 57. Edward VII, & Mary Queen of Scots stood next in order of | 1901-1910 succession after Mary (No. 43), provided Henry |_________ H VIII's marriage with Catharine, or his marriage with | 58. George V, Catharine of Aragon (Mary's mother) was not held to have | 1910- been dissolved. The Pope never recognized Henry's | divorce from Catharine, or his marriage with Anne Boleyn,| and therefore supported Mary Queen of Scots in her claim | to the English crown after Mary's (43) death in 1558. | ** Richard III (No. 39) married Anne Neville, widow (?) | of Edward, Prince of Wales (son of Henry VI), slain at | Tewkesbury. | ++ Commonwealth and Protectorate, 1649-1660 |
[The * marks contemporary or early history]
N.B. A selected list of twenty-eight works, especially adapted to the use of teachers and pupils for reference and collateral reading, is given on this first page. It includes names of publishers with prices.
General Histories
Oman, C. History of England (earliest times to the present).7 vols. Putnam's Sons, N.Y. ($3.00 per vol.).Gardiner, S.R. A Student's History of England, illustrated,3 vols. Longmans, N.Y. ($3.50); or bound in one very thickvolume ($3.00).Tout, T.F. History of England, 1 vol. Longmans, N.Y. ($1.50).Gardiner, S.R. English History. Holt, N.Y. (80 cents). (For youngfolks.)Smith, Goldwin. The United Kingdom, a Political History, 2 vols.The Macmillan Company, N.Y. ($4.00).Bright, J.F. History of England, 4 vols. Longmans, N.Y. ($6.75).Green, J.R. A Short History of the English People, 1 vol. Harper &Bros., N.Y. ($2.00); the same beautifully illustrated, 4vols. ($20.00).Brewer, J.S. The Student's Hume, 1 vol. Murray, London (7s 6d).Creighton, M. Epochs of English History, 6 small vols. inone. Longmans, N.Y. ($1.25).Knight, C. The Popular History of England, 9 vols.,illustrated. Warne, London (5 pounds 3s.).
English Constitutional History
Ransome, C. Rise of Constitutional Government in England,1 vol. Longmans, N.Y. ($2.00). (An excellent shortconstitutional history.)Taswell-Langmead, T.P. English Constitutional Histry, new and revisededition, 1 vol. Stevens & Haynes, London ($3.12). (This is thebest complete constitutional history of England.)Feilden, H.St.C. A Short Constitutional History of England (revisededition), 1 vol. Ginn and Company, Boston ($1.25). (This is areference manual of exceptional value.)
General Works of Reference
Cannon, H.L. Reading References for English History, 1 vol. Ginn andCompany, Boston ($2.50). (This is a work practicallyindispensible to both teachers and students. See further,p. xl.)Low and Pulling. Dictionary of English History (revised edition), 1vol. Cassell, N.Y. ($3.50).Gardiner, S.R. A School Atlas of English History, 1 vol. Longmans,N.Y. ($1.50).Lee, G.C. Source-Book of English History (giving leading documents,etc.), 1 vol. Holt & Co., N.Y. ($2.00).Cheyney, E.P. Readings in English History, 1 vol. Ginn and Company,Boston ($1.80).Kendall, E.K. Source-Book of English History, 1 vol. The MacmillanCompany, N.Y. (80 cents).Acland and Ransome. English Political History in Outline. Longmans,N.Y. ($1.25). (Excellent for reference.)Powell, J. York. English History from Contemporary Writers, 16vols. Nutt & Co., London (1s. per vol.) (A series of greatvalue.)Cheyney, E.P. Industrial and Social History of England, 1 vol. TheMacmillan Company, N.Y. ($1.40).Gibbins, H. de B. An Industrial History of England, 1 vol Scribner's,N.Y. ($1.20).Cunningham and MacArthur. Outlines of English Industrial History. TheMacmillan Company, N.Y. ($1.50).Church, A.J. Early Britain. (Story of the Nations Series.) Putnams,N.Y. ($1.50).Story, A.T. The Building of the British Empire, 2 vols. Putnams,N.Y. ($3.00).McCarthy, J. The Story of the People of England in the XIXth Century,2 vols. Putnams, N.Y. ($3.00).
——-
Works of Reference to be found in Libraries
Hunt, W., and Poole, R.L. Political History of England (earliest timesto the present). 12 vols.Traill, H.D. Social England, 6 vols.The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, 29 vols.Chambers's Encyclopaedia, 10 vols.Nelson's Encyclopaedia, 12 vols.The International Encyclopaedia, 17 vols.The New Encyclopaedia Americana, 15 vols.The Catholic Encyclopaedia, 15 vols.The Jewish Encyclopaedia, 12 vols.Stephen, L. Dictionary of National [British] Biography, 66 vols.(A work of the highest rank.)Adams's Manual of Historical Literature.Mullinger's Authorities on English History.Bailey's Succession to the Crown (with full genealogical tables).Henderson's Side Lights on English History.Poole's Index to Reviews.
I. The Prehistoric Period
Dawkin's's Early Man in Britain.Wright's The Celt, the Roman, and the Saxon.Elton's Origins of English History.Rhys's Celtic Britain.Geoffrey of Monmouth's Chronicle (legendary).Geike's Influence of Geology on English History, inMacmillan's Magazine, 1882.
II. The Roman Period, 55, 54 B.C.; A.D. 43-410
*Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic War(Books IV and V, chiefly 55, 54 B.C.)*Tacitus' Agricola and Annals (chiefly from 78-84).*Gildas' History of Britain (whole period).*Bede's Ecclesiastical History of Britain (whole period).Wright's The Celt, the Roman, and the Saxon.Elton's Origins of English History.Pearson's England during the Early and Middle Ages.Scarth's Roman Britain.[1]
[1] The best short history.
III. The Saxon or Early English Period, 449-1066
*The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (whole period).*Gildas' History of Britain (Roman Conquest to 560).*Bede's Ecclesiastical History of Britain (earliest times to 731).*Nennius' History of Britain (earliest times to 642).*Geoffrey of Monmouth's Chronicle (legendary) (earliest times to 689).*Asser's Life of Alfred the Great.Elton's Origins of English History.Pauli's Life of Alfred.Green's Making of England.Green's Conquest of England.Freeman's Norman Conquest, Vols. I-II.Pearson's History of England during the Early and Middle Ages.Freeman's Origin of the English Nation.Stubbs's Constitutional History of England.Taine's History of English Literature.Church's Beginning of the Middle Ages.Armitage's Childhood of the English Nation.[2]Freeman's Early English History.[2]
[2] The two best short histories.
IV. The Norman Period 1066-1154
*The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (Peterborough continuation) (whole period)*Ordericus Vitalis' Ecclesiastical History (to 1141).*Wace's Roman de Rou (Taylor's translation) (to 1106).*Bruce's Bayeux Tapestry Elucidated (with plates).*William of Malmesbury's Chronicle (to 1142).*Roger of Hoveden's Chronicle (whole period).Freeman's Norman Conquest.Church's Life of Anselm.Taine's History of English Literature.Stubbs's Constitutional History of England.Freeman's Short History of the Norman Conquest.[3]Armitage's Childhood of the English Nation.[3]Johnson's Normans in Europe.[3]Creighton's England a Continental Power.[3]
[3] The four best short histories.
V. The Angevin Period, 1154-1399
*Matthew Paris's Chronicle (1067-1253).*Richard of Devizes's Chronicle (1189-1192).*Froissart's Chronicles (1325-1400).*Jocelin of Brakelonde's Chronicle (1173-1102) (see Carlyle's Past andPresent, Book II).Norgate's Angevin Kings.Taine's History of English Literature.Anstey's William of Wykeham.Pearson's England in the Early and Middle Ages.Maurice's Stephen Langton.Creighton's Life of Simon de Montfort.Stubbs's Constitutional History of England.Gairdner and Spedding's Studies in English History (the Lollards).Blade's Life of Caxton.Seebohm's Essay on the Black Death, in Fortnightly Review, 1865.Maurice's Wat Tyler, Ball, and Oldcastle.Gibbins's English Social Reformers (Langland and John Ball).Buddensieg's Life of Wiclif.J. York Powell's History of England.Burrows's Wicklif's Place in History.Pauli's Pictures of Old England.Stubbs's Early Plantagenets.[1]Rowley's Rise of the People.[1]Warburton's Edward III.[1]Shakespeare's John and Richard (Hudson's edition).Scott's Ivanhoe and The Talisman (Richard I and John).
[1] The three best short histories.
VI. The Lancastrian Period, 1399-1461
*The Paston Letters (Gairdner's edition) (1424-1506).*Fortescue's Governance of England (Plummer's edition) (1460?).*Hall's Chronicle (1398-1509).Brougham's England under the House of Lancaster.Besant's Life of Sir Richard Whittington.Taine's English Literature.Rand's Chaucer's England.Stubbs's Constitutional History of England.Strickland's Queens of England (Margaret of Anjou).Reed's English History in Shakespeare.Gairdner's Houses of Lancaster and York.[2]Rowley's Rise of the People.[2]Shakespeare's Henry IV, V, and VI (Hudson's edition).
[2] The two best short histories.
VII. The Yorkist Period, 1461-1485
*The Paston Letters (Gairdner's edition) (1424-1506)*Sir Thomas More's Edward V and Richard III*Hall's Chronicle (1398-1509)Hallam's Middle Ages.Gairdner's Richard III.Taine's English Literature.Stubbs's Constitutional History of England.Gairdner's Houses of Lancaster and York.[2]Rowley's Rise of the People.[2]Shakespeare's Henry IV, V, and VI (Hudson's edition).
[2] The two best short histories.
VIII. The Tudor Period, 1461-1485.
*Holinshed's History of England (from earliest times to 1577).*Lord Bacon's Life of Henry VII.*Latimer's 1st and 6th Sermons before Edward VI and "The Ploughers"(1549).*Hall's Chronicle (1398-1509).Hallam's Constitutional History of England.Lingard's History of England (Catholic) 13 vols.Brewer's Reign of Henry VIII.Creighton's Cardinal Wolsey.Gibbins's Social Reformers (Sir Thomas More).Froude's History of England.Strickland's Queens of England (Catharine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn,Mary, Elizabeth).Demaus's Life of Latimer.Froude's Short Studies.Nicholls's Life of Cabot.Dixon's History of the Church of England.Hall's Society in the Age of Elizabeth.Thornbury's Shakespeare's England.Macaulay's Essay on Lord Burleigh.Barrows's Life of Drake.Creighton's Life of Raleigh.[3]Seebohm's Era of the Protestant Revolution.[3]Moberly's Early Tudors.[3]Creighton's Age of Elizabeth.[3]Shakespeare's Henry VIII (Hudson's edition).Scott's Kenilworth, Abbot, Monastery (Elizabeth and Mary Queen ofScots).
[3] The four best short histories.
IX. The Stuart Period (First Part), 1603-1649
*The Prose Works of James I (1599-1625)Jesse's Memoirs of the Court of England.*Fuller's Church History of Britain (earliest times to 1648).*Clarendon's History of the Rebellion (1625-1660).*Memoirs of Col. Hutchinson (1616-1664).*May's History of the Long Parliament (1640-1643).Carlyle's Historical Sketches of Reigns of James I and Charles I.Taine's History of English Literature.Spedding's Lord Bacon and his Times.Gardiner's History of England (1603-1649).Church's Life of Lord Bacon.Hallam's Constitutional History of England.Hume's History of England (Tory).Macaulay's History of England (Whig).Lingard's History of England (Catholic). 13 vols.Strickland's Queens of England. 10 vols.Ranke's History of England in the Seventeenth Century. 5 vols.Macaulay's Essays (Bacon, Hampden, Hallam's History).Goldwin Smith's Three English Statesmen (Cromwell, Pym, Hampden).Cordery's Struggle against Absolute Monarchy.[1]Cordery and Phillpott's King and Commonwealth.[1]Gardiner's Puritan Revolution.[1]Scott's Fortunes of Nigel (James I).
[1] The three best short histories.
X. The Commonwealth and Protectorate, 1649-1660 (see Preceding Period)
Gardiner's History of England (1649-1660).*Ludlow's Memoirs (1640-1668).*Carlyle's Life and Letters of Oliver Cromwell.Carlyle's Hero Worship (Cromwell).Guizot's Cromwell and the Commonwealth.Morley's Cromwell.Roosevelt's Cromwell.Guizot's Richard Cromwell.Guizot's Life of Monk.Masson's Life and Times of Milton.Bisset's Omitted Chapters in the History of England.Pattison's Life of Milton.Scott's Woodstock (Cromwell).
XI. Stuart Period (Second Part) 1660-1714
*Evelyn's Diary (1641-1706).*Pepys's Diary (1659-1669).*Burnet's History of his Own Time (1660-1713).Macaulay's History of England (Whig).Hallam's Constitutional History of England.Taine's History of English Literature.Strickland's Queens of England.Ranke's History of England in the Seventeenth Century.Hume's History of England (Tory).Brewster's Life of Newton.Lingard's History of England (Catholic). 13 vols.Green's History fo the English People.Stanhope's History of England.Lecky's History of England in the Eighteenth Century.Macaulay's Essays (Milton, Mackintosh's History, War of the SpanishSuccession, and The Comic Dramatists of the Restoration).Creighton's Life of Marlborough.Guizot's History of Civilization (Chapter XIII).Morris's Age of Anne.[1]Hale's Fall of the Stuarts.[1]Cordery's Struggle against Absolute Monarchy.[1]Scott's Peveril of the Peak and Old Mortality (Charles II).Thackeray's Henry Esmond (Anne).
XII. The Hanoverian Period, 1714 to the Present time
*Memoirs of Robert Walpole.*Horace Walpole's Memoir's and Journals.Hallam's Constitutional History of England (to the death of George II,*1760).May's Constitutional History (1760-1870).Amos's English Constitution (1830-1880).Bagehot's English Constitution.Lecky's History of England in the Eighteenth Century.Walpole's History of England (1815-1816).Molesworth's History of England (1830-1870).Martineau's History of England (1816-1846).Taine's History of English Literature.Gibbins's Social Reformers (Wesley and Wilberforce; and the FactoryReformers)Lecky's American Revolution (edited by Professor J.A. Woodburn).Bancroft's History of the United States.Bryant's History of the United States.Stanhope's History of England (1713-1783).Green's Causes of the Revolution.Seeley's Expansion of England.Frothingham's Rise of the Republic.Southey's Life of Wesley.Southey's Life of Nelson.Wharton's Wits and Beaux of Society.Waite's Life of Wellington.Massey's Life of George III.Smith's, Goldwin, Lectures (Foundation of the American Colonies).Macaulay's Essays (Warren Hastings, Clive, Pitt, Walpole, Chatham,Johnson, Madame D'Arblay).Scott's Rob Roy, Waverley, and Redgauntlet (the Old and the YoungPretender, 1715, 1735-1753).Thackeray's Virginians (Washington).Dickens's Barnaby Rudge (1780).Smiles's Life of James Watt.Smith's, Sydney, Peter Plymley's Letters.Smiles's Life of Stephenson.Thackeray's Four Georges.McCarthy's Four Georges.Smiles's Industrial Biography.Allen's, Grant, Life of Darwin.Ashton's Dawn of the XIXth Century in England.Ludlow's American Revolution.[1]Rowley's Settlement of the Constitution (1689-1784).[1]Morris's Early Hanoverians (George I and II).[1]McCarthy's Epoch of Reform (1830-1850).[1]Tancock's England during the American and European Wars(1765-1820).[1]Browning's Modern England (1820-1874).[1]McCarthy's History of Our Own Times (1837-1897).McCarthy's England under Gladstone (1880-1884).Ward's Reign of Victoria (1837-1887).Bolton's Famous English Statesmen of Queen Victoria's Reign.Hinton's English Radical Leaders.Gibbins's Social Reformers (Kingsley, Carlyle, and Ruskin).Traill's Social England, Vol. VI.Adams's, Brooks, America's Economic Supremacy.Escott's Victorian Age.The article on Victoria in the Dictionary of National [British]Biography, Vol. LX.The English Illustrated Magazine for July 1897.[2]The Contemporary Review for June, 1897.[2]The Fortnightly Review for June, 1897.[2]King Edward VII. See Poole's Index to Reviews for 1910.McCarthy's History of Our Own Times (to accession of George V).
[1] The nine best short histories. [2] Contain valuable articles on the Victorian Era, giving general view of the reign.
I. See, on this whole subject, Professor H.L. Cannon's Reading References for English History referred to in the Short List of Books on page xxxvi. Professor Cannon's volume contains "exact references to some two thousand of the most useful and accessible works on English history." No other single volume can compare with it for usefulness in this department.
II. See E.K. Kendall's Source-Book of English History; G.C. Lee's Source-Book of English History; and Professor E.P. Cheyney's Readings of English History (1 vol.); and Professor E.P. Cheyney's Readings of English History (1 vol.); A.H.D. Acland, and C. Ransome, Outline of the Political History of England, 1 vol.
III. See, for brief but carefully written biographical and historical articles relating to English history, Chambers's Encyclopaedia, 10 vols. For fuller treatment see the New Encyclopaedia Britannica (29 vols.), The Dictionary of National [British] Biography (66 vols.), an the International Encyclopaedia (17 vols.).
IV. For recent events in English history, see Whitaker's Almanack, Hazell's Annual, the Annual Register, the Statesman's Year-Book, and other publications of this class.