The Queen's Wards: Wardship and Marriage under Elizabeth I

by Joel Hurstfield

Overview

First published in 1958, this reissue of The Queen's Wards from 1973 remains a significant contribution to the history of society and government in Elizabethan England. The concept of wardship reached its zenith in Elizabethan times, when it was used as a powerful weapon in the raising of revenues and in controlling the aristocracy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032468075
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	07/05/2023
Series:	Routledge Library Editions: Marriage
Pages:	392
Product dimensions:	5.44(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

Preface. Introduction: Feudalism Declining. Part I: The Revival of Royal Wardship 1. Feudalism Resurgent 2. Resistance Part II: Procedure 3. Discovering a Wardship 4. Suitors for Wards 5. The Grant of a Ward 6. Private Wardship Part III: Wardship and Society 7. Guardians and Wards 8. Marriage 9. Coming of Age 10. Corruption Part IV: The Rule of the Cecils 11. Offices and Office Holders 12. Lord Burghley as Guardian 13. Lord Burghley as Master 14. The Vacant Mastership 15. Sir Robert Cecil Part V: Conclusion 16. Wardship and the Government of England. Index.

Editorial Reviews

Reviews for the 1983 edition:

‘Mr Hurstfield has taken on a most difficult task and discharged it triumphantly. It is hard to see how this obscure and complicated matter could have been treated with more exact thoroughness or more patient and balanced judgement.’ – Times Literary Supplement

‘Joel Hurstfield has a delightful way of writing. He is lucid where lucidity cannot have been easy, and where he picks human instances, he writes with dry wit and a palpable sympathy for all in distress.’ – Stevie Smith, Daily Telegraph

‘Its strong human theme, coupled with ease of writing and a flair for the telling phrase, make it a book that will be no means appeal only to specialists.’ – The Times

From the Publisher