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Post Medieval |
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About 1540 AD to 1750 AD (the 16th century AD to the 18th century AD)
The Post Medieval period comes after the medieval period and before the Imperial period.
This period covers the second half of the reign of the Tudors (1485 – 1603), the reign of the Stuarts (1603 – 1702) and the beginning of the reign of the Hannoverians (1714 – 1836).[more]
In the early part of the Post Medieval period the population of the country was increasing and towns started to grow in size. People still built their houses as they had done during the medieval period, with timber frames and thatched roofs. These types of houses still survive in some towns in Warwickshire, such as Henley in Arden.
In 1694 a huge fire swept through Warwick, destroying two of the town’s main streets and large parts of St Mary’s Church. As a result of this, and fires elsewhere, regulations were brought in about new buildings. They had to be built in brick with tile roofs.
This period also saw changes to the countryside as a result of an increase in the population. These changes were largely a result of new systems of farming that were introduced in order to produce the larger yields of crops needed to feed the growing population. The most notable change to the appearance of the landscape was the enclosing of the open fields with boundaries. Private Acts of Parliament were needed in order for the fields to be enclosed, hence the name ‘parliamentary enclosure’ given to this type of field pattern.
This period also saw the rise of the country house, sometimes called ‘prodigious’ or ‘prodigy’ houses. The development of these large country houses really began during the late medieval period under Henry VIII but it reached its peak during the Elizabethan era (1558 to 1603). These houses were usually large enough to accommodate the entire king or queen’s court whilst it was travelling around the country as well as other aristocratic travellers. The houses are often characterised by their symmetrical layout, decorative chimneys, large windows and the use of columns and arches. Built mainly of brick or stone, the country houses were surrounded by gardens and parks, making up large estates. Together, the houses and their grounds reflect the huge wealth of a small number of English families in this period. Warwickshire examples include Compton Wynyates house and Charlecote Hall, both originally built during the Tudor period, and Packington Hall and Upton house, both built during the reign of the Stuarts.
Some of the major events in English history that took place in this period have connections with Warwickshire.
In 1605 there was an attempt to blow up parliament. The gunpowder that was intended to cause the explosion was discovered in the cellars below the house of Lords. The men who organised the Gunpowder Plot are supposed to have waited in a house in Dunchurch to hear whether the plot had worked. It was in this house that they heard that Guy Fawkes had been arrested. The building is now known as Guy Fawkes house.
The first battle of the English Civil War took place at Edge Hill, in the south of the county, in 1642. The battle was between the Royalists (also known as Cavaliers) who supported King Charles I (1625 – 1649) and the Parliamentarians (also known as the Roundheads).
The Civil War started because Charles and his troops attempted to attack Scotland because they would not accept his reforms to the Scottish Church. Parliament did not support this attack on Scotland and so Charles dismissed Parliament. The attack on Scotland was unsuccessful, however, and Charles was forced to recall Parliament.
Tensions between Charles and Parliament remained high. When Charles’ troops were unsuccessful in trying to arrest five members of Parliament in January 1642 the king left London. Both he and parliament began to stockpile military resources and parliament began to stockpile military resources and recruit troops.
At the Battle of Edgehill, The Royalists gathered on the top of the hill with about 14,000 troops. The Parliamentarians camped at the bottom of the hill, near Kineton, with a similar number of men. The Cavaliers attacked the Parliamentarians first but as the battle went on it became more and more disorganised as the soldiers gradually became exhausted. Eventually, the fighting stopped and the two armies parted. Neither side really won the battle.
A large number of musket balls and the odd canon ball have been found at the battlefield site. There are two mounds in the area of the battlefield that may be where the dead soldiers were buried. The battlefield of Edgehill is a Registered Battlefield.
Other connections with the Civil War can be found in Warwickshire, for example, at Compton Wynyates house. The house was seized and occupied by the Parliamentarians. The owner unsuccessfully tried to recapture the house in 1644, during which it suffered a great deal of damage.
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