Popular political speech and popular political culture in 1530s England

This thesis penetrates the surface of popular political culture in 1530s England, a truly turbulent period of political, religious and social change. It argues that by its actions, government acknowledged the threat posed by popular political speech, thus recognising its existence, and something of its force. The thesis establishes that a ‘political consciousness’ was present across the 1530s, and it most definitely showed its face come the time of rebellion. Criticism of government emanated from all levels of society, driven by the fact that all were impacted. The government applied the full force of the law, if that meant changing the law, introducing new law, or simply attainting without trial. It promulgated its own agenda, be it from the pulpit, the market cross or in print. This action left its detailed mark on the record, and the State Papers collection provides the very evidence that tells of widespread criticism of government actions. The thesis interrogates the footprint left by authority, chiefly through examination of State Papers but not solely so. Secondary sources that interrogate key thesis themes are used, with comparative studies and cross-disciplinary studies drawn on to offer new insights. The study explores the frictions that were being played out in societal relationships, and the space and place in which such friction manifested itself. This very much includes the role of the clergy, a group in society who often found themselves subject to intense pressure from above and below. The clergy do not fit neatly into binary models of politics: whether ‘rulers vs. ruled’ or ‘clergy vs. laity’. It is argued that this extensive focus on the role of the clergy in popular politics represents a departure from existing work, which has tended to overlook the political role of this key group. A methodological intervention is made through the analysis of information flow, focusing on three essential media: rumour, ballads, and political prophecy. The thesis finds that the three media amplified political voice, enough to trigger government action. The force and precision of government action was suggestive of a need to listen in, thus acknowledging the very existence of popular politics in 1530s England. A general analysis of each of the identified key themes to the thesis is made, followed by a specific, deeply contextualised case study of the same. Adoption of this approach secures a depth and breadth that neither achieves on its own, for seeking to understand a phenomenon more generally is one thing, placing it in a specific context and working to understand how the two rubbed against one another, something different. In addressing this, the thesis takes an in-depth look at the places, Walsingham, Louth, and Sawley Abbey, and the individuals, John Dakyn, priest, John Pickering, friar, and Elizabeth Barton, prophetess. It is argued that this approach offers an interpretation of both government and anti-government activity in the period that was essentially political on both sides, thus making a compelling case for the existence of popular politics in 1530s England. In so doing, the thesis makes an original contribution to the popular politics literature. It does so by offering conclusive proof that popular political speech was a feature of a popular political culture present in 1530s England that was every bit as real as that described in the literature focusing on the later Sixteenth Century, and onwards from that point.