Here are 41 books that The Parliament of England, 1559–1581 fans have personally recommended if you like
The Parliament of England, 1559–1581.
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I am a historian of early modern law and parliaments in Ireland and Britain, having written several books and articles on the topic, and am also a criminologist. I have had an interest in the history of parliaments for many years, in particular the manner in how they operate, how they were staffed, and how they worked (or in some cases didn’t work). Although political histories are interesting and sometimes important, parliamentary political history does not interest me as much. I love the practical application of how institutions operated and what they can tell us that conventional histories of political development and parliamentary politics can not.
This is a superb book. It is a comprehensive consideration of the business record of the upper house. What I personally find to be the more entertaining and interesting house of parliament, Foster has a rare ability of making the complex matters accessible, and making what might seem to be archaic or irrelevant procedures understood in their proper context. Despite the fact that the Lords could sometimes be consumed by seemingly unimportant issues such as hats and privilege, these episodes are expertly deciphered with a view to helping the reader understand that these issues were not just important to individuals at the time, but a brilliant window onto the nobility and how it was affected by the conflagration that was the Stuart period
Foster discusses both the structure of the House and its business, including studies of the officers, the fee system by which they were paid, the function of the judges and attorney general, the select committees and their appointment, the committee of the whole House that developed during this period and its significance, and the joint committees that became increasingly important during the civil war years. The study also contributes to the understanding of later parliaments.
Originally published in 1983.
A UNC Press Enduring Edition - UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books…
I am a historian of early modern law and parliaments in Ireland and Britain, having written several books and articles on the topic, and am also a criminologist. I have had an interest in the history of parliaments for many years, in particular the manner in how they operate, how they were staffed, and how they worked (or in some cases didn’t work). Although political histories are interesting and sometimes important, parliamentary political history does not interest me as much. I love the practical application of how institutions operated and what they can tell us that conventional histories of political development and parliamentary politics can not.
Although it sometimes changes, if I were forced to choose, this is probably my most favourite history book. Even though it is now seventy years old, it still reads remarkably up-to-date. Like many of the other books on this list, it eschews the political history of parliament in order to focus on the institutional and developmental history of the medieval Irish assembly. Whilst a book with chapters on medieval taxation and the feudal state might not seem to many as being as fascinating, the passion and drive that is clearly evident in the authors is something that immediately infects the reader. The argument is jumping off the page and slapping you across the face. More than proficient in English medieval history too, they are somewhat of a rarity in written history of the islands in that they seamlessly slide from one to the other. The fact that it was a…
Based largely on manuscript material, this comprehensive account of the Irish Parliament in the Middle Ages shows that early Irish parliaments cannot be identified either in form or function with their modern namesake and, consequently, demonstrates that the concept of governmental democracy had a much slower, more gradual development than historians have heretofore believed.
The history of the Irish Parliaments proper begins with that held at Castledermot in mid-June 1264. During the reign of Edward II and the early years of Edward III significant changes took place-changes, the authors, point out, similar to those taking place in the development of…
I am a historian of early modern law and parliaments in Ireland and Britain, having written several books and articles on the topic, and am also a criminologist. I have had an interest in the history of parliaments for many years, in particular the manner in how they operate, how they were staffed, and how they worked (or in some cases didn’t work). Although political histories are interesting and sometimes important, parliamentary political history does not interest me as much. I love the practical application of how institutions operated and what they can tell us that conventional histories of political development and parliamentary politics can not.
This is a splendid exposition of the House of Lordsin a crucial mid-Tudor period. Although it covers a relatively short period of time, it can do so because the author is so expert in his chosen field. Like all other books in this list, it concentrates on the procedures and work record of parliament and its constituent houses. However, it also looks at the composition of the house (the English Lords contained bishops and previously abbots and priors) and also the quality of those who sat—education, background, etc. With limited resources Graves also produces chapters on attendance, activity, and the management of business. It is both an in-depth but particularly accessible guide.
In the past the House of Lords has been the Cinderella of parliamentary history. This volume makes amends for the omission. It is the first systematic institutional study of the sixteenth-century Upper House. Not only does it chart its composition and quality, its record of attendance, activity and conflicting centrifugal and centripetal forces, it also examines the role of the legal assistants, who contributed so much to its efficiency as a legislative machine, analyses its procedures and assesses its legislative record in the mid-Tudor parliaments. In the process it also sets the Edwardian and Marian Commons in their right perspective.…
I am a historian of early modern law and parliaments in Ireland and Britain, having written several books and articles on the topic, and am also a criminologist. I have had an interest in the history of parliaments for many years, in particular the manner in how they operate, how they were staffed, and how they worked (or in some cases didn’t work). Although political histories are interesting and sometimes important, parliamentary political history does not interest me as much. I love the practical application of how institutions operated and what they can tell us that conventional histories of political development and parliamentary politics can not.
This book is fascinating for many reasons, but in particular this work defines the nature of the relationship between the institution of parliament, the relatively new role of the parliamentary agent (in particular in this case, Robert Harper), and the community of landowners and others who needed to get private bills and local bills passed through parliament. Lambert's real achievement is the depth and level of expertise that she developed in this book on the minute detail of the procedure alongside the rough-and-tumble of parliamentary agency, bringing the local into contact with the very core of the legislative and judicial state. It's essentially about interaction.
The eighteenth century witnessed both a notable increase in the amount of legislation passed in each parliamentary session as a response to the changing economic and social climate, and the development of new forms of parliamentary practice which foreshadowed the much better known innovations of the nineteenth century. In consequence, Parliament gained much greater influence over the everyday life of the community, and the new profession of parliamentary agent developed to assist landowners and local communities in their dealings with Parliament. The study centres round the work of Robert Harper of Lincoln's Inn, an eminent conveyancer whose active career as…
I’ve been fascinated by the early modern period–the Tudors and the Stuarts–since falling in love with Mary Queen of Scots, Elizabeth, Henry VIII, and his wives when I was a child. I graduated from Horrible Histories as a child to lengthier nonfiction and fiction books about the era as a teenager before gaining a BA Honours, a Masters, and a PhD focussing on Elizabethan language and literature. I now teach English Literature at Strathclyde University. Because I never lost the urge to read everything I could about the Tudors and Stuarts, I began writing about them, too, and because I devour both fiction and nonfiction, I write both!
Elizabeth I is one of the most popular Tudors and her story has been told and retold in countless biographies and Anne Somerset’s weighty nonfiction study is my favourite. It details the big-picture moments of the queen’s life–her rivalries, successes, and failures–without losing sight of the human at the heart of the story. We can thus enjoy learning about Elizabeth the woman as well as Elizabeth the queen.
This is a book I occasionally dip into for a reference and invariably end up rereading in its entirety.
Elizabeth 1 ruled England in defiance of convention, exercising supreme authority in a man's world. With courage, brilliance and style, she reigned for nearly forty-five years. Anne Somerset's penetrating biography of this complex and uniquely gifted woman is unrivalled in its analysis of both Elizabeth's personal life and her career as leader. "By applying herself industriously to the evidence, Anne Somerset presents a convincing as well as complex character at the centre of her long, but ever lucid narrative" Antonia Fraser "I strongly recommend this book...the writing is a delight" Daily Telegraph "The fullest and best biography of the queen…
Although I was part of a large family, I frequently felt alone growing up. While my siblings were busy playing sports or running around with their friends, I sat by myself in the basement, reading fantasy stories. Eventually, I began creating my own worlds and published the Riddle in Stone series and Sword of Betrayal. I suppose I’m still trying to find a place where I fit in.
Reputed to be one reason why J.R.R. Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin, and H.P. Lovecraft began writing fantasy, The Book of Wonder is a collection of short stories by Irish fantasy writer, Lord Dunsany. With gnoles, mail-clad warriors, and dragons, it is in many ways the foundation of what we consider classical fantasy stories. Unfortunately, it doesn’t often get the credit it deserves.
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I’m an historian who writes novels, and an avid reader of historical murder mysteries—especially ones whose characters are affected by social, religious, and political change. Lately, I’ve been fascinated by the breakup of rural British estates between 1880 and 1925, when, in a single generation, the amount of British land owned by the aristocracy fell from 66% to perhaps 15%. I thought it might be interesting to set a “country house” mystery on one of the failing estates, with a narrator influenced by the other great change of the period: from horses to automobiles. “Interesting” was an understatement; writing it was eye-opening.
Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manoris the first of Stephanie Barron’s 14 Jane Austen mysteries, based on Austen’s “discovered” diaries about her adventures as a sleuth. The series’ witty tone is true to Austen’s, and portrayals of Austen’s family are based in fact. In this opening volume, Jane is visiting a friend “of more fashion than means” newly married a middle aged earl—who dies, poisoned, after a celebratory party. His will divides his estate between his countess and an heir known to be too fond of her, making the pair obvious suspects. As Jane works to prove her friend innocent, the descriptions of aristocratic Regency life, dress, manners, and law are superb.
For everyone who loves Jane Austen...a marvelously entertaining new series that turns the incomparable author into an extraordinary sleuth!
On a visit to the estate of her friend, the young and beautiful Isobel Payne, Countess of Scargrave, Jane bears witness to a tragedy. Isobel's husband—a gentleman of mature years—is felled by a mysterious and agonizing ailment. The Earl's death seems a cruel blow of fate for the newly married Isobel. Yet the bereaved widow soon finds that it's only the beginning of her misfortune...as she receives a sinister missive accusing her and the Earl's nephew of adultery—and murder. Desperately afraid…
I'm a shameless people-watcher. There's nothing I like better than sitting in a cafe, or an airport, or on a bus, and observing the people I see (and yes, I admit, eavesdropping on their conversations). What are they wearing and what does it say about them? Who are they with, and what's their relationship? What are they saying to each other - and what are they not saying? So it's not surprising the most important element of a book for me is the characters, and my favourite characters are women who are a little bit different, who don't fit the mould - because you just never know what they'll do.
I love Diana Norman’s historical novels and she inspires the way I write mine.
Her books are packed with historical atmosphere but they're never stodgy, the characters are full of life and there's always a dash of humour. This one, set in 17th-century London, is my favourite.
The heroine, Penitence Hurd, is a young Puritan girl who comes to London just as the Great Plague is about to strike, and finds herself - to her horror - living alongside the working girls in a brothel. She’s such an engaging character, stiff and prim at the beginning but as she bonds with the other women when they're shut in during the plague, she begins to change.
After living in, while restoring, an old farmhouse built in the late 17th century or very early in the 18th, it was impossible for me not to want to know the history of the house and the people who lived there. Combine that with the stories my grandmother told me about our ancestor, the suspected witch Mary Bliss Parsons of Northampton, and I felt destined to know her story. That led to many years of research and writing. At the moment I am writing another 17th century New England historical fiction. I love this period of history and so few write about it.
Well, the title was amusing. The rest of the book was fascinating, alarming, and totally surprising for an author who was researching the lives of Puritans in early New England. The public records, Puritan laws, along with Thompson’s analysis opened up a world of new information and removed every myth I’d heard about these staunchly religious people.
"Thompson analyzes the court records of 17th century Middlesex County, searching for such sexually related crimes as fornication, breach of promise, sexual deviancy, and adultery. His findings help shatter the traditional historical caricature of New England Puritans as patriarchal, dour wife-beaters and child-abusers, a myth eloquently created by Perry Miller and most recently reinforced by Lawrence Stone. In the court records Thompson discovers Puritans who exhibited 'tolerance, mutual regard, affection, and prudent common sense' within the context of a popular Puritan piety. A well-written social history that places Puritanism in a human rather than an intellectual framework, Sex in Middlesex…
The human mind is crazy. Stories that can stir me psychologically and leave a lasting mark morally are my favorite. When I was about 11 years old, I peeped through two pillows at Stanley Kubrick’s masterful production of Stephen King’s It. Since then, psychological thrillers and horror stories have been molding my warped mind. Administration at Trinity High School in Washington, Pennsylvania trusts me enough to teach Dark Fiction like Edgar Allen Poe, or the aforementioned Stephen King on a daily basis.
The Scarlet Letter is dripping with diction. Nathaniel Hawthorne chooses his words so carefully during certain descriptions that my language-loving self feels jealous about his precision. This classic explores sin, as well as the dark side of the soul. A vengeful old scholar is an unusual villain, but Roger Chillingworth in The Scarlet Letter is so smart and evil.
An "A" for "adultery" marks Hester Prynne as an outcast from the society of colonial Boston. Although forced by the puritanical town fathers to wear a bright red badge of shame, Hester steadfastly resists their efforts to discover the identity of her baby's father. The return of her long-absent spouse brings new pressure on the young mother, as the aggrieved husband undertakes a long-term plot to reveal Hester's partner in adultery and force him to share her disgrace. Masterful in its symbolism and compelling in its character studies, Nathaniel Hawthorne's tale of punishment and reconciliation examines the concepts of sin,…
