Gentry leaders in peace and war : the gentry governors of Devon in the early seventeenth century / Mary Wolffe.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wolffe, Mary.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

County government.

History.

Devon (England)--Politics and government.

Devon (England).

County government--England--Devon--History--17th century.

Gentry--England--Devon--Biography.

Gentry.

England--Devon.

Governors--England--Devon--Biography.

Governors.

Devon (England)--History--17th century.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xiii, 306 pages : illustrations, genealogical tables, maps, 1 portrait ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Exeter : University of Exeter Press, 1997.

Summary:

The great strength of the government of Devon in the early seventeenth century lay in the quality of its leaders: they ruled together in harmony, free from rivalries for supremacy, free from the influence of any powerful resident nobles, and saved from religious conflicts by the pacific Bishop Hall. Confident of their ability to rule the county and prepared to introduce innovative methods of governance, they achieved a high level of competent administration. They gave the king loyal service but were also prepared to be outspoken over the difficulties caused by his policies.

Gentry Leaders in Peace and War emphasizes this strength by describing much of the administration through a series of biographical studies, each of which covers the whole life of the subject and so relating service in peacetime to actions during Britain's Civil War. In this way the book describes the government of Devon in the early seventeenth century through the eyes of its administrators and helps us to understand the whole class of gentry leaders.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 265-300) and index.

ISBN:

0859895130

OCLC:

38474528