Category: Legal history

Tudor, 16th Century history, Legal history

‘There is no more accoumpt to bee made of them than the kylling of ij sheep’: Charles, Lord Stourton (d.1557), and the murder of the Hartgills

Last year Dr Simon Payling from our Commons 1461-1504 project explored the case of the first peer to be executed of a crime short of treason. In today’s blog Dr Payling turns his attention to the second peer to face this punishment. But, this time, was the sentence deserved? The fate of Thomas Fiennes, Lord Dacre, in 1541, the first peer to be executed for … Continue reading ‘There is no more accoumpt to bee made of them than the kylling of ij sheep’: Charles, Lord Stourton (d.1557), and the murder of the Hartgills

Simon PaylingLeave a comment
Tudor, 16th Century history, Legal history, Social history

The hanging of Thomas Fiennes, Lord Dacre: Henry VIII and the abuse of law

On our blog today Dr Simon Payling, Senior Research Fellow in our Commons 1461-1504 project, looks into the landmark case of Thomas Fiennes, Lord Dacre, the first peer to be executed for an offence other than treason. But what led to this sentence– and was it deserved? The hanging of Thomas Fiennes, Lord Dacre, on 29 June 1541 has a particular and important place in … Continue reading The hanging of Thomas Fiennes, Lord Dacre: Henry VIII and the abuse of law

Simon PaylingLeave a comment
Stuart, 17th Century history, Legal history, Social history

The Murder of Sir Thomas Overbury, 1613

On our blog today Dr Andrew Thrush, editor of our House of Lords 1558-1603 project, takes a look at an infamous murder that took place in 1613, and asks why foul play wasn’t suspected until two years later… In the early hours of the morning of 15 September 1613, Sir Thomas Overbury, the former friend and mentor of the royal favourite Robert Carr, Viscount Rochester, … Continue reading The Murder of Sir Thomas Overbury, 1613

Andrew ThrushLeave a comment
The First Elizabethan Age, 16th Century history, Elizabeth I, Legal history, Parliamentary Life, Social history, Tudor

Prorogation Tide: Elizabeth I and the Parliament of 1572-81

In the sixteenth century, parliaments were not only summoned but also prorogued at the behest of the monarch. In this blog, Dr Andrew Thrush, editor of our Lords 1558-1603 project, discusses an exceptionally large but often overlooked number of prorogations that took place during the mid-Elizabethan period… Before the Long Parliament of 1640-53, the Parliament of 1572-81 bore the distinction of being the longest in … Continue reading Prorogation Tide: Elizabeth I and the Parliament of 1572-81

Andrew Thrush1 Comment
James I to Restoration, 17th Century history, Economic history, James I, Legal history, Parliamentary Life, Social history, Stuart

What price a peerage? John Roper and the Jacobean trade in titles and offices

Accusations of political sleaze are on the rise again, but the concept of government insiders profiting from the system is nothing new, as Dr Paul Hunneyball of our Lords 1558-1603 project explains… If the Committee on Standards in Public Life had existed 400 years ago, it would have needed a rather different remit. While Jacobean politicians periodically attacked corruption and venality in government, it was … Continue reading What price a peerage? John Roper and the Jacobean trade in titles and offices

Paul HunneyballLeave a comment
Georgian Lords, 18th Century history, Georgian, Legal history, Social history, Women and Parliament

‘The doubly-noble prisoner’: The trial of Elizabeth Chudleigh, countess of Bristol, or duchess of Kingston?

The year 1776 is usually associated with the worsening crisis in the American colonies. Yet for one week in April the House of Lords, and the British public, turned their attention to Westminster Hall to concentrate on the sensational trial for bigamy of Elizabeth Chudleigh, the self-styled ‘duchess of Kingston’. Dr Charles Littleton examines the background to the sensational case. In 1743, at the age … Continue reading ‘The doubly-noble prisoner’: The trial of Elizabeth Chudleigh, countess of Bristol, or duchess of Kingston?

clittleton6c6ff85dd9Leave a comment
Medieval, 15th Century History, Legal history, Social history

The elusiveness of divorce in medieval England: the marital troubles of the last Warenne earl of Surrey (d.1347)

In today’s blog Dr Simon Payling from our Commons 1461-1504 project continues our ongoing look into the marriages of Parliamentarians, both happy and unhappy. Divorce in medieval England was infrequent and difficult to secure, but this did not stop individuals from making an attempt… Medieval England knew two forms of divorce. The first, and overwhelmingly the most important, was divorce a vinculo matrimonii (from the … Continue reading The elusiveness of divorce in medieval England: the marital troubles of the last Warenne earl of Surrey (d.1347)

Simon PaylingLeave a comment
James I to Restoration, 17th Century history, Legal history, Parliamentary Life, Stuart

An Indispensable Member? Legal expertise in the Long Parliament, ‘an ancient lawyer’ and civil war intimidation

In the past, as with now, it was not uncommon to find those trained in the practice of law seated on the benches of Parliament. In today’s blog Dr Vivienne Larminie, assistant editor of our Commons 1640-1660 project, looks into the tumultuous political career of one such lawyer in the 17th century, John Whistler. With their expertise at a premium in the drafting of legislation, … Continue reading An Indispensable Member? Legal expertise in the Long Parliament, ‘an ancient lawyer’ and civil war intimidation

larminiev1 Comment
Tudor, 16th Century history, 17th Century history, James I to Restoration, Legal history, Social history

Three degrees of separation: alternatives to divorce in early modern England

As part of the History of Parliament’s blog series on marriage, Dr Paul Hunneyball, assistant editor of the Lords 1558-1603 project, considers the options available four centuries ago to those whose marriages had broken down… Contrary to popular belief, Henry VIII never got divorced. In sixteenth-century England, the option of divorce as we now understand it didn’t exist. The only way to end a marriage … Continue reading Three degrees of separation: alternatives to divorce in early modern England

Paul Hunneyball1 Comment
The First Elizabethan Age, 16th Century history, Elizabeth I, Legal history, Parliamentary Life, Tudor, Women and Parliament

Elizabeth I, the ‘estate of marriage’, and the 1559 Parliament

To mark Women’s History Month, Dr Paul Hunneyball, assistant editor of our Lords 1558-1603 section, recalls the first public statement by the ‘Virgin Queen’ that she had no plans to marry, and the incomprehension with which her (male) subjects reacted… The first Parliament summoned by Elizabeth I opened on 25 January 1559 with a packed agenda. Urgent business in the opening days included a new … Continue reading Elizabeth I, the ‘estate of marriage’, and the 1559 Parliament

Paul Hunneyball1 Comment