Course:History 344 Nasty Families/Calamities/Effects of Politics on Property Rights and Land Protection

Political instability throughout the period of Stuart England had a tremendous effect on the property rights of landowners. Based on how families sided politically at a given time, land confiscation was a common theme of the Reformation. “The contest for political power can make all property insecure and all private attempts at accumulation fruitless; it supports the enrichment of individuals only through the capacity of the state to confiscate it from others.” In fact, approximately one fifth of all land in England was confiscated from Royalists after the Civil War. Similarly, approximately the same amount of land was confiscated from Parliamentarians following the Restoration. That being said, there was much land to be accumulated by those with the right connections and/or supporting the popular political entity of the time. During the Reformation, for example, church property was given to royal favourites and sold at minimal prices to Royalist farmers and citizens.

Years of civil war had a deep impact on investment, particularly in locations where battles were held directly on or near these properties. As Royalist and Parliamentarian armies marched across the countryside, crops were destroyed, food was confiscated, and property was damaged significantly by sieges, raids and strengthening of fortifications. Towns such as Birmingham, Colchester, Glouscester, Worcester and York were among those hit hardest.

BN: Some connection should be made between this and the section on land acquisition.]