Description
Book SynopsisPeacey unearths and reconstructs a strange early modern dispute over a small estate in Gloucestershire that was contested over a period of 160 years, becoming acrimonious and violent. The microhistory represents the common forms of litigation which shed light upon political culture and ideological conflict around the time of the English Revolution.
Table of ContentsIntroduction Part One: Suits Introduction to Part One 1: 'Strange passages in divers suits': waging law over Warrens Court, 1560-1615 2: 'Given to superstitious uses': contesting Lady Katherine Berkeley's Grammar School, 1615-1662 Part Two: Strategies Introduction to Part Two 3: 'A lawyer by practice': John Smyth of Nibley as litigant 4: 'Power and wicked practices': John Smyth, influence, and intimidation 5: 'A huntsman after broken titles': Benjamin Crokey as litigant 6: 'For your sake I sent this down': the battle over Crokey's pamphlet, 1625-1631 Part Three: Structures Introduction to Part Three 7: 'Country malice', the 'inferior sort', and the Church of England: the mental world of John Smyth 8: 'The many-headed multitude': the royalism of John Smyth junior 9: 'For God's cause and the public good': the mental world of Benjamin Crokey Conclusion
