Approaching the ‘great Court of Justice now sitting’: petitioning and parliamentary memory in the Long Parliament (1640-1642)

Narratives of the early years of the Long Parliament have been dominated by considerations of the fiery debates leading to the Civil War and of the political and religious contentions gripping the realm. It has long been recognised that petitioning was crucial in this Parliament, with large-scale supplications for root and branch reform entering both Houses. Overlooked are the torrent of petitions sent by corporations and individuals seeking action from an institution which was seen as a Parliament like any other, with the time and inclination to offer redress. This paper will consider the importance of economic grievances for pushing subjects and corporate bodies to interact with Parliament, driven not by concerns with popery or evil counsel, but by their economic interests. Memory will be shown to have been crucial to petitioners, as some subjects pursued causes introduced in previous Parliaments, whilst others skilfully manipulated parliamentary memory in their appeals. Petitioners thereby contributed to the perception of Parliament not as an event, but as an institution.
Ellen Paterson is the CMRS Career Development Fellow in Early Modern History at Keble College, Oxford. Her research examines the intersection between politics and economics in the early Stuart period, with a particular focus on the ways through which issues of monopoly and corporatism pushed subjects to engage in the public sphere. Her first monograph, titled Bloodsuckers of the Commonwealth: Monopolies, Petitioning, and the Public Sphere in early modern England, is under contract with MUP. She is currently embarking on a new research project looking to the participatory nature of economic policy making and the politics of trade and corporations in early Stuart England.
All welcome-this seminar is free to attend, but advance booking is required.
This page was last updated on 19 December 2024