View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Plymouth Electronic Archive and Research Library Networks, News and Communication: Political Elites and Community Relations in Elizabethan Devon, 1588-1603 by Ian David Cooper A thesis submitted to Plymouth University in partial fulfilment for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Humanities and Performing Arts Faculty of Arts In collaboration with Devon Record Office September 2012 In loving memory of my grandfathers, Eric George Wright and Ronald Henry George Cooper, and my godfather, David Michael Jefferies ii Copyright Statement This copy of the thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is understood to recognise that its copyright rests with its author and that no quotation from the thesis and no information derived from it may be published without the author’s prior consent. iii Abstract Ian David Cooper ‘Networks, News and Communication: Political Elites and Community Relations in Elizabethan Devon, 1588-1603’ Focusing on the ‘second reign’ of Queen Elizabeth I (1588-1603), this thesis constitutes the first significant socio-political examination of Elizabethan Devon – a geographically peripheral county, yet strategically central in matters pertaining to national defence and security. A complex web of personal associations and informal alliances underpinned politics and governance in Tudor England; but whereas a great deal is now understood about relations between both the political elite and the organs of government at the centre of affairs, many questions still remain unanswered about how networks of political actors functioned at a provincial and neighbourhood level, and how these networks kept in touch with one another, central government and the court. Consequently, this study is primarily concerned with power and communication. In particular, it investigates and models the interconnected networks of government within late-Elizabethan Devon and explains precisely how the county’s officials (at every level) shared information with the Crown and each other. The raison d’être of this study is, therefore, to probe the character and articulation of the power geometries at the south-western fringe of Elizabethan England. The closing years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I represent a decisive phase in the evolution of the English nation state, one that saw the appointment of lord lieutenants on a more widespread and long-standing basis, the consistent training of certain sections of the county militias, the expansion of the pre-existing government post-stage service, a heightened degree of dealings between every echelon of administration and an obvious increase in the amount of information that flowed from the localities into the capital. The primary causes of each of these developments were the Elizabethan war with Spain (1585-1604) and the rebellion in Ireland (1594-1603), and it is demonstrated throughout this thesis that Devon, a strategically essential county during this period of political turmoil, provides an excellent case study for evaluating the impact that each had on the Crown’s ability to control the periphery whilst being spatially anchored at the court. Furthermore, by examining each of these developments the thesis fundamentally undercuts the tenacious assertion that geographically marginal regions of Tudor territory were inward-looking, remote and disconnected from events that were unfolding on a national and international level. iv Contents List of Figures vii List of Abbreviations viii Acknowledgements xi Author’s Declaration xiii Chapter 1 Introduction 1 ‘New’ Tudor political history 5 Historical research on early modern Devon 11 Methodologies and sources 14 Elizabeth I’s ‘second reign’ 23 Chapter 2 The Character of Devon’s Lieutenancy: 29 Personality Politics and Social Networks The evolution of the office of lord lieutenant, 1549-1588 31 Devon’s Lord Lieutenant, 1586-1623 38 Deputy lieutenants 54 Devon’s Deputy Lieutenants, 1586-1603 57 Chapter 3 War and the Militia: 97 Musters, Levies and the Defence of the County The trained bands initiative 100 The social command structure of Devon’s militia 103 Mustering and training Devon’s militia 112 The role of Devon’s militia during the Armada crisis of 1588 120 Devon’s defence against the ‘Invisible Armada’ of 1599 126 Troop levies to Ireland, 1594-1602 134 Chapter 4 The Tudor South-West’s Royal Post-Stage Service: 142 Structure, Speed and Efficiency Postal infrastructure: roads and bridges 145 Tudor England’s royal post-stage network 148 Exchequer-funded post-stages to the south-west 155 Post-stage travel times between Plymouth and London, 168 1595-1603 Privy Council target travel times 176 Chapter 5 Intra-County Postal Networks: 188 Connectivity, Communication and Scribal Culture Letter delivery: foot-posts, letter-bearers and servants 194 v Devon’s intra-county post-stage service 203 Devon’s parish-to-parish postal network 217 Letter production: the role of a secretary 223 Circular letters and parish publication 235 Chapter 6 Intelligence from the Frontline: 243 Local Government Newsletters and the Commodity of Information ‘What news at London?’ 244 Devon’s continental trade links 250 News of Spanish invasion threats after 1588 253 Local government newsletters: production and transmission 260 Trading news for patronage 266 News circulating among Devon’s wider population 271 Chapter 7 Conclusion 278 Bibliography 289 vi List of Figures 2.1 The names and number of Devon deputy lieutenants, 1586-1603. 59 2.2 Principal residences of Devon’s Lord and Deputy Lieutenants, 60 1586-1603. 3.1 Approximate geographical area of Devon’s three sub-divisions. 106 3.2 The days and places appointed for the mustering and training of 116 Devon’s militia, Monday 27 March 1598 to Thursday 13 April 1598. 3.3 Military levies to Barnstaple and Plymouth, 1595-1602. 136 4.1 Exchequer-funded post-stages and post-masters engaged 158 between London and Exeter, 17 May 1506 to 4 June 1506. 4.2 Exchequer-funded post-stages and post-masters engaged 161 between London and Tavistock, 1 August 1579 to 30 November 1579. 4.3 Payments made to court messengers riding as ‘through posts’ 162 between the court and Plymouth, May to September 1588. 4.4 Exchequer-funded post-stages and post-masters engaged 164 between London and Plymouth on 1 August 1595. 4.5 Additional Exchequer-funded post-stages and post-masters 166 engaged in Devon and Cornwall. 4.6 Travel times between the south-west’s Exchequer-funded post- 173 stages, 1595-1603. 4.7 Distances and Privy Council target travel times between the south- 181 west’s royal post-stages, 1595-1603. 4.8 Hours under/over the Privy Council's target travel times between 182 the south-west’s royal post-stages, 1595-1603. 5.1 Late-Elizabethan Devon’s intra-county post-stage network. 207 5.2 Distances and estimated mean travel times between Late- 215 Elizabethan Devon’s two intra-county post-stage routes. 6.1 A selection of noteworthy western European ports of trade. 251 vii List of Abbreviations Original spelling, punctuation and grammar have been retained throughout in quotations from manuscripts. Insertions are indicated by italics and deletions are represented by strikethrough line. Modern translations of unusual spellings have been included in square brackets. The letter ‘j’ is maintained as a variant of the letter ‘i’, the letters ‘v’ and ‘u’ remain interchangeable and the letter ‘y’ is kept to represent a ‘th’ sound. Dates are given in Old Style, but the year is taken to begin on 1 January. Roman numerals are kept in quotations, but otherwise presented in Arabic form; monetary sums of pounds, shillings and pence are given as £ s. d.. In the footnotes dates are presented in a shorthand day / month / year format. All figures have been produced by the author. AO 1 The National Archives, Auditors of the Imprest and Commissioners of Audit: Declared Accounts APC John Roche Dasent, ed., Acts of the Privy Council of England, vols. i-xxxii (London: HMSO, 1890-1907) BIHR Bulletin of the Institute of Historical Research BL The British Library, London Cal. Carew MSS J. S. Brewer and William Bullen, eds., Calendar of the Carew Manuscripts, vol. iii (Nendeln: Kraus, 1974). CP Cecil Papers, Hatfield House, Hertfordshire CSPD Calendar of State Papers, Domestic Series CSPV Calendar of State Papers Relating to English Affairs in the Archives of Venice CUL Cambridge University Library, Cambridge CUP Cambridge University Press DRO Devon Record Office, Exeter E 407 The National Archives, Records of the Exchequer of Receipt: Messengers Accounts, 1558-1603 ECA Exeter City Archives Econ. HR The Economic History Review EHR The English Historical Review GJ The Geographical Journal viii GRO Gloucestershire Record Office, Gloucester Hasler, Commons P. W. Hasler, ed., The History of Parliament: The House of Commons, 1558-1603, vols. i-iii (London, HMSO, 1981). HJ The Historical Journal HMC, Bath Historical Manuscripts Commission, Calendar of the Manuscripts of the Marquis of Bath, vol. ii (Dublin, 1907) HMC, Foljambe Historical Manuscripts Commission, Fifteenth Report, Appendix, Part V. The Manuscripts of the Right Honourable F. J. Savile Foljambe (London: HMSO, 1897) HMC, Portland Historical Manuscripts Commission, Thirteenth Report, Appendix, Part II. The Manuscripts of the Duke of Portland, vol. ii (London: HMSO, 1891) HMC, Rutland Historical Manuscripts Commission, Twelfth Report, Appendix, Part IV. The Manuscripts of his Grace the Duke of Rutland, vol. i (London: HMSO, 1888) HMC, Rye Historical Manuscripts Commission, Thirteenth Report, Appendix, Part IV. The Manuscripts of Rye and Hereford Corporations; Captain Loder-Symonds, E. R. Wodehouse, MP, and others (London: HMSO, 1892) HMC, Salisbury Historical Manuscripts Commission, Calendar of the Manuscripts of the Marquis of Salisbury, K.G., vols. i-xv (London: HMSO, 1883-1930). HMC, Somerset Historical Manuscripts Commission, Fifteenth Report, Appendix, Part VII. The Manuscripts of the Duke of Somerset etc.