Institutional Change and Property Rights before the Industrial Revolution Wardship in Britain, 1485–1660
Book contents
- Institutional Change and Property Rights before the Industrial Revolution
- Cambridge Studies in Economic History
- Institutional Change and Property Rights before the Industrial Revolution
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Tables and Figures
- Preface
- Abbreviations
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Wardship and the Feudal Incidents, 1066–1540
- 3 The Court of Wards and Liveries, 1540–1642
- 4 The Court of Wards
- 5 The Early Stuart Fiscal State
- 6 Law and the Court of Wards
- 7 The Economic Consequences of Wardship
- 8 ‘Like Horses in Smithfielde’
- 9 Wardship and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
2 - Wardship and the Feudal Incidents, 1066–1540
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 October 2025
Book contents
- Institutional Change and Property Rights before the Industrial Revolution
- Cambridge Studies in Economic History
- Institutional Change and Property Rights before the Industrial Revolution
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Tables and Figures
- Preface
- Abbreviations
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Wardship and the Feudal Incidents, 1066–1540
- 3 The Court of Wards and Liveries, 1540–1642
- 4 The Court of Wards
- 5 The Early Stuart Fiscal State
- 6 Law and the Court of Wards
- 7 The Economic Consequences of Wardship
- 8 ‘Like Horses in Smithfielde’
- 9 Wardship and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
The chapter provides an analytical survey of the development of wardship in England from 1066 to 1540, when the Court of Wards was placed on a legislative establishment. In so doing, the chapter performs two roles. Firstly, it provides a detailed introduction to the institution of wardship. Secondly, it explains how the Crown wrought seismic and profoundly unsettling changes in the English land law, especially during the 1530s. In conjunction with the largest forcible re-distribution of land since the Conquest, that is the dissolution of the monasteries, this significantly increased the number of heirs falling into wardship.
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- Institutional Change and Property Rights before the Industrial RevolutionWardship in Britain, 1485–1660, pp. 23 - 42Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
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