a real feel for the main issues in Tudor times. The original documents and
publications referred to in the. Tudor Citizen newspaper file are held at
Hampshire ...
Notes on Tudor records used in The Tudor Citizen How do we know about the way people lived in the past, and in particular which issues affected local citizens? Although we can trace Britain’s historic past through the writings of the Romans and Anglo-Saxons, it is not until after the Norman Conquest in 1066 that records of everyday life at local level have survived. The Domesday Book of 1086 provided a snapshot of the country at that time, but it is through official records kept or issued by the King’s court and at local level that we get a real feel for the main issues in Tudor times. The original documents and publications referred to in the Tudor Citizen newspaper file are held at Hampshire Record Office. It is because records of local government and activities such as the sale or grant of land have been deposited in record offices and elsewhere that we can build up a picture of life in the past. The examples chosen for this particular case-study are mainly from the city of Winchester, but the range of documents used could equally have reflected life in almost any Tudor town or city. Each document acts like a piece in a jigsaw, providing the detail for a much bigger picture of Tudor life. What follows is an explanation of each of those documents for background purposes. Sweeping changes were made to the government of the country by the early Tudors which were maintained and modified until the Civil Wars of the 1640s. At the same time a system of local government came into being which added to the old medieval functions of government. Affairs of state were largely dealt with by the Chancellor, who was also keeper of the great seal. Each seal showed the monarch sitting on his or her throne on one side, and riding on horseback on the other. Kings were shown in full battle armour as if going to war, whilst the queen, and in the case of Philip and Mary, were still shown
on horseback but in a more stately pose. The term to give your ‘seal of approval’ to something comes from the act of the monarch using the great seal as their official signature of approval. Great seals were usually attached to important documents including title deeds, letters patent and royal grants. In some cases the monarch’s portrait would be drawn inside the first letter of their Christian name which appeared at the top of the document, such as h for Henry, e for Edward, p and m for Philip and Mary, and e for Elizabeth. Parish Registers. The keeping of registers was made compulsory in 1538, when Thomas Cromwell declared that every parson, vicar or curate should keep a record of every wedding, christening and burial that took place in their parish. However, only a few survive from this date in England and Wales. A second declaration in 1598 ordered that these records (usually on paper) be copied into parchment books and kept safely locked in a wooden chest within the parish church. A further copy, known as a bishop’s transcript, was to be sent to the archdeacon every year showing all christenings, marriages and burials for that year. Will. A will is a declaration in which the person making it (who is called the testator) states who he would like his property or possessions to go to. No particular form of words is required when making out a will so long as the testator’s intentions are made clear. In the past, however, it was usual to make offerings to a parish church or cathedral and to the poor of the parish, so as to clear the testator’s conscience of any mistakes or failings in their past before hopefully passing into Heaven.
A will in most cases had to be in writing and signed at the bottom by the testator, or by someone in his presence (not many people could read or write at this time so most testator’s made their mark usually in the form of an X). This had to be witnessed by two or more people who also signed their names or made their mark. As soon as possible after the testator’s death, it was the duty of the executor (named in the will by the testator) to prove the will in court and make an inventory or list of the testator’s possessions as well as debts and money owed. The executor would then carry out the wishes of the testator in their will by distributing money or goods to named individuals such as family and friends as well as the parish church and poor. The Ordnance Books record the ordinances or orders and decisions reached at meetings of the freemen of the City of Winchester, although such records may go by another name in towns or cities elsewhere. Such orders and decisions were taken at the borough mote. The Winchester City archive contains a continuous run of books from 1552 to 1835 after which the Municipal Corporations Act considerably altered the structure of city government and introduced elective councils for the first time. The Ordinance Books reflect all aspects of city government in Winchester but in particular illustrate the involvement of the Mayor and Commonality in the regulation of trade, the improvement of social conditions and the implementation of local government in Winchester. Broadsheets. Before the widespread availability of newspapers in the eighteenth century people read the news through posters which were nailed to church doors, or in broadsheets which were often sold or read in public places by travellers known as ‘chapmen’. Such broadsheets would be headed with
the likes of: “It is reported from Holland that…”, or “Last Thursday his Majesty visited….”. Sometimes they carried illustrations in the form of woodcuts. There is some evidence that similar publications existed during Tudor times, including one relating to Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Elvetham during one of her royal progresses. The opening page begins: “The Honorable Entertainment given to the Quenes Majestie, in Progresse, at Elvetham in Hampshire, by the Right Honourable the Earle of Hertford. 1591. London. Printed by John Wolfe, and are to be sold at the Little Shop over against the Great South Dore of Paules. 1591.”
For more information on the Tudors try the following web links: www.royal.gov.uk select history of the monarchy and Tudors www.maryrose.org/index.html for information about Henry’s flagship www.bbc.co.uk/history/ select historic figures or search by topic e.g. Tudors
