The Charities Of London 1480 1660

In this work, Professor Jordan continues his study of the origins of modern social and cultural institutions in England. He is concerned with the momentous shift which occurred in men's aspirations for their society in the course of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as reflected in the charities which were established by gifts and bequests. This volume deals with the immense contribution made by London to this process of historical change, a change so swift as to be revolutionary in its institutional implications. The author describes the vast charitable system which London created, examines at length the aspirations and the social philosophy of the merchant aristocracy which controlled its affairs, and seeks to assess the social dominance exerted by London in this era as the flood of its charitable generosity poured out across the face of the realm. It is Professor Jordan's estimate that more than a third of the whole of the great charitable endowments created in England during this period were London's gift, while almost a third of London's benefactions were made for the benefit of communities in other parts of the realm. It is not too much to say that London's almost prodigal generosity was fashioning for all of England the institutions of a new age. Here is recorded the annal of a proud achievement by a city which discovered its own greatness in the period under discussion. It is perhaps not too much to say that few authors have quite so fully mastered the rich and variegated life and aspirations of the city as has Professor Jordan, certainly none have recounted the triumph of its achievement with greater understanding and pride. This book was first published in 1960.

This study documents a momentous shift which occurred in men's aspirations for their society in the course of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The author has examined gifts and bequests left for charitable causes over a period of nearly two centuries. in ten English counties, in order to assess the changing pattern of social aspirations and observe the different 'velocities of change' among the several social classes. Professor Jordan examines the problem of poverty in the early modern world and discusses the various measures taken by the Tudors and Stuarts to deal with the needs of the poor. He concludes that poverty was principally relieved by an immense outpouring of charitable wealth. This wealth flowed principally from an urban aristocracy determined not only to care for the hopelessly destitute but so to enlarge the 'area of opportunity' so that poverty could be prevented. At the same time, the Elizabethan law of charitable uses marshalled this generous wealth into effective agencies. The study closes with a full assessment of the noble achievements of the period: the founding of a widespread and effective system of education, the establishment of almshouses in all parts of England, and extraordinairy adn fertile experiments with the several agencies of social rehabilitation. The author records in this voluma a great and enduring historical achievement; he records as well the triumph of the secular preoccupations of mankind. This book was first published in 1959.

The origins of the NHS are the subject of this study that presents evidence on the key players who participated in the founding of the system. The author also traces those who opposed the NHS.

This volume deals with the charitable contributions of three predominantly rural counties, Buckinghamshire, Norfolk, and Yorkshire, selected principally because of the historical and geographical diversity which they exhibit and because they yielded to the process of social change in our age with quite differing rates of momentum. Taken together, it may well be held that they represent a fair cross-section of the rural England of the Tudor and Stuart periods.

Between the mid-fourteenth century and the Poor Laws of 1598 and 1601, English poor relief moved toward a more coherent and comprehensive network of support. Marjorie McIntosh's study, the first to trace developments across that time span, focuses on three types of assistance: licensed begging and the solicitation of charitable alms; hospitals and almshouses for the bedridden and elderly; and the aid given by parishes. It explores changing conceptions of poverty and charity and altered roles for the church, state and private organizations in the provision of relief. The study highlights the creativity of local people in responding to poverty, cooperation between national levels of government, the problems of fraud and negligence, and mounting concern with proper supervision and accounting. This ground-breaking work challenges existing accounts of the Poor Laws, showing that they addressed problems with forms of aid already in use rather than creating a new system of relief.

This volume explores a range of topics during a turbulent period in British history, with particular emphasis on political change and popular piety. On the eve of the Reformation, religious beliefs were shaped by a church which was falling under the growing control of the state, and by responses to England's one and only heretical movement, Lollardy. In political life, gradual disengagement from a cross-Channel political world was followed by civil war and the eventual rise of a strong Tudor monarchy. As this volume demonstrates in a number of ways, the impact of many of these macro changes was felt across the British Isles, not just in England. But the studies presented here frequently explore major change through the experience of the middling sort: the gentry active in local government, the English merchants and Scottish immigrants making important life choices in major cities, or the industrious clerics charged with the routine administration of the church. By looking at the case studies of these men in more detail, we begin to appreciate that even in this age of great change, there were profound continuities which carried through into the sixteenth century. Along the way, too, new light is thrown on the authorship, date and redaction of texts which continue to shape our understanding of late medieval British history.