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the Vale in Tudor times The Tudor period started in 1485 with Henry VII's defeat of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth and ended in 1603 with the death of Elizabeth I. Think of it as the 'long sixteenth century'. Much happened, especially at the 'big scale' of society. Henry VII ruled an essentially medieval society where the monasteries and abbeys vied with the elete gentry and the royal court for power and wealth. The reigns of Henry VIII and Mary I created great societal rifts as the tug-of-war between Catholic and Protestant beliefs systems ruined lives and livelihoods. The religious Reformation instigated by Henry VIII divided towns, villages and sometimes families. Things went from bad to worse when Mary I took the throne in 1553. Thomas Cranmer, born in the Vale, was one of the victims of Mary's intolerance. Thankfully Mary died in 1558 and her sister, Elizabeth, steadily brought the country into a 'golden age' – although there was nothing golden about the lives of the poor. When Elizabeth I came to the throne the monasteries had been gone for nearly twenty years and the gentry who had scrambled to acquire their lands were getting rich. I have written an entry specifically about the Dissolution in the Vale and the resulting loss of St Ethelburga's church. The transfer of land from monasteries to the gentry resulted in significant changes in agriculture and social structure. At the start of the sixteenth century English society was divided into four broad groups: the nobility, the gentry, rich merchants, and the poor labourers. By the end of the century 'squires' (as they would later be known) had emerged and the renting of land to farmers became common. By the time Elizabeth had been on the throne for twenty years trade (legal and otherwise) with the New World was increasing wealth at a prodigious rate. That wealth trickled down into the wider economy when used to build posh houses or for other conspicuous consumption. But things weren't perfect, least of all for the poor. People in the Vale would have been adversely affected by the poor weather from the 1580s onwards. Harvests repeatedly failed – 1586 was particularly bad – leading to hunger and unemployment. Before the Reformation the monasteries had provided welfare in times of need, but the onus for providing for the poor had passed to the parishes where typically there was little attempt to provide relief. Eventually the worst problems would be addressed in the Poor Law Act of 1601. Before then the problems associated with pauperism, vagrancy and mothers with illegitimate children were not adequately addressed. In addition to poor weather causing shortages of food, periodic outbreaks of the plague caused further suffering. Nottinghamshire suffered major visitations around 1592 and in 1605. As the sixteenth century ended Elizabeth I was still the monarch. During that century society had shifted from being late medieval and was on the brink of social structures which historians deem Early Modern. Bingham in 1586 A Manorial Survey of Bingham compiled in 1586 provides considerable insights into the town at that time. Conveniently the extent of the Manor of Bingham coincided with the boundaries of the parish. The Survey sheds considerable light on its topographical layout, fields and farming systems. The Bingham Heritage Trails Association wrote the following introduction: Bingham in Elizabethan period was a small market town which acted as the capital of the villages within the Nottinghamshire portion of the Vale of Belvoir, an area known for producing an abundance of corn. Apart from its weekly market it was the centre for the Hundred of Bingham, one of the administrative subdivisions of the county, and of the Bingham Deanery. The size of its population is not known but was possibly around 400, equal to the largest villages in the area such as Cotgrave and Radcliffe. It almost certainly contained several tradesmen and craftsmen who served the local hinterland, but it was essentially a large agricultural village with a market probably dealing mainly in butter, cheese and garden produce rather than corn or livestock, which are likely to have been traded in more important markets such as Nottingham, Newark and Grantham. www.binghamheritage.org.uk/archaeology/study_of_old_maps/bingham_in_1586/index.php The link above will also take you to a full transcript (in modern English) of the Survey and a detailed analysis. Back to top of this page     Back to home page   This website does not gather or store any visitor information. Copyright Bob Trubshaw 2025 No unauthorised copying or reproduction except if all following conditions apply: a: Copy is complete (including this copyright statement). b: No changes are made. c: No charge is made. www.hoap.co.uk/chronicle

Chronicle entries home page what's new? the geology of the Vale the boundaries and rivers of the Vale long, long ago prehistory in the Vale prehistoric boundaries in the Vale north-south prehistoric routeways Romans roads in the Vale Roman settlements in and near the Vale long ago introduction to Anglo-Saxons place-names of the Vale waterborne transport around the sixth century Orston's early church Anglo-Saxon sculpture in the Vale why Orston lost out to Bingham and Bottesford what the Normans did for the Vale Granby's importance in 1086 Granby's lost castle the Vale's watermills in 1086 Romanesque sculpture in the Vale St Remigius why Bottesford is in Leicestershire the Vale in medieval times medieval gargoyles of the Vale Eastwell's chancel screen St Ethelburga's church other early saints Elston's old chapel Muston and Long Clawson saltways of the Vale the Vale's medieval tile collection the Vale in Tudor times Dissolution in the Vale not that long ago the Vale in the C17th the 'great and the good' of the Vale Bottesford's effigies 'wicked practice and sorcerye' the whales on the Whalley memorial Car Colston's bigoted GP cum JP the Vale's very own regicide Wiverton Hall five rare C17th fonts in the Vale pinfolds and pounds in the Vale dovecotes in the Vale the Vale in the C18th turnpiking the Vale gravestones and C18th trade routes goodbye 'Belvoir Angels' C18th gravestone carvers in the Vale Daffy's Elixir the Marquess of Granby Stilton from the Vale springs and spas of the Vale outstanding organs in the Vale Grantham canal changes in the Vale's agriculture since 1800 Eastwell's recusant priest house and chapel Colston Bassett's ruined church seems like yesterday windmills in the Vale stained glass in the Vale village life in the southern Vale 1850 to 1880 folklore of the Vale Flintham museum lacemaking in the Vale gypsum pits in the Vale brick and tile works in the Vale ironstone quarrying in the Vale ironstone railways ironstone quarries of Leicestershire (YouTube video) The Vale's railway stations Orston's famous architect Mothers Union banners of the Vale redundant telephone exchanges in the Vale WWII airfields and pillboxes in the Vale the Vale in 1944 location shooting at Belvoir Castle Screveton's giants researching and writing local history the Vale as a verb getting started free advice from 2005 asking curious questions (YouTube video) local history groups in and around the Vale Aslockton (Cranmer LHG) Bingham Heritage Trails Association Bottesford Eastwell Harby Harlaxton Hickling Redmile archive Belvoir Villages History and Memories Group Belvoir Angel Society Grantham Canal Society you may also be interested in free PDFs written by Bob Trubshaw Earliest Churches in Nottinghamshire How Anglo-Saxons Found Their Way Anglo-Saxon Leicestershire Conversations in Churchyards Little-known Leicestershire and Rutland Bob Trubshaw's YouTube channel Introduction to medieval carvings Anglo-Saxon and Romanesque carvings How Anglo-Saxons found their way Anglo-Saxon shrines at fords Meetings at triangles Rota's Land and Franni's Land Reading Romanesque fonts Church and manor The significances of square headdresses Early churches and waterborne trade Charnwood slate gravestones and C18th trade routes Ironstone quarries of Leicestershire Roman roads in north-east Leicestershire Salt ways in Leicestershire Why Melton Mowbray needed to called 'middle town' Evolving Anglo-Saxon agriculture Nottinghamshire's earliest churches Ploughs not piety? Economic regeneration in the C7th Were Anglo-Saxon weaving huts women-only places? Barrowby Until Now website Rutland Village by Village website Sepulchral Effigies of Leicestershire and Rutland