The aim of this thesis is to provide a study of political conflict and local-national relations during the English Revolution, in the context of the county of Surrey, a county in which a moderate parliamentarian administration was able to survive until 1649. The thesis concentrates in particular on political developments in the period from 1640 to 1653. The character of local society in Surrey before 1640 is examined in Chapter One, as are relations between the Surrey gentry and the government of Charles I. The importance of localism is emphasised, despite the cosmopolitan nature of society in the county. Political and religious developments in Surrey between the autumn of 1640 and the, end of 1642 are examined in Chapter Three; Chapter Four provides a study of patterns of civil war allegiance in the county. In Chapters Five and Six, political conflicts from 1642 to 1646 are studied, and in particular the campaign to remove Sir Richard Onslow and his associates from their dominant position in local administration. It is argued that parliament's sensitivity to localism helped to ensure Onslow's political survival during the 1640's. The Surrey petitioning movement of 1648, the Earl of Holland's rising, and local reactions to the establishment of the Commonwealth in 1649, are discussed in Chapter Six, The final chapter provides a study of the Surrey Digger movement, and of social conflict in the county during the civil war and after. Although it is clear that the Diggers met with considerable opposition in Walton, it is suggested that there was some sympathy for them in Cobham, and that they should not be dismissed as outsiders in that parish.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:364693 |
| Date | January 1991 |
| Creators | Gurney, John |
| Publisher | University of Sussex |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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