This volume is a study of popular behaviour during the English Civil War. The book makes three claims. The first is that English counties did not behave as homogeneous units during the conflict of 1642-46, but that they divided instead along regional lines, certain areas supporting Parliament, others supporting the King. The second is that this general rule applied to cities too, and that in urban communities it is possible to discern both 'Royalist' and 'Parliamentarian' parishes. The third is that these internal divisions were not simply temporary alignments, conjured up by extraordinary...

This is a study of the city of Exeter during the Great Civil War of 1642-46; it offers a lively, immediate account of how one English city slid, inexorably, into the chaos of civil war. The book shows how Exeter's inhabitants first began to dissent from each other over religious issues, then became divided into two warring camps, and finally, after three years of bitter conflict, witnessed much of the ancient city being destroyed about their ears. The main text is accompanied by a generous collection of transcripts from original seventeenth-century documents. These have been specially...

West Britons provides a fresh interpretation of the bloodiest, most devastating years in Cornwall's history and a wholly new perspective on the history of the far South West of Britain. The book explores the unprecedented series of rebellions which took place in Cornwall between 1497 and 1648, traces the connections which existed between those revolts and the contemporary Cornish perception of themselves as a separate 'people', and argues that Cornish history must be viewed within a 'British', rather than a purely English context. West Britons will be required reading for all those who are...

Circled with Stone is the most comprehensive study to date of the fortifications of an early modern English city. The culmination of some twenty years of archaeological and documentary research, it provides a richly detailed portrait of the ancient system of walls, towers and gates which ringed the city of Exeter during the Tudor and early Stuart periods. The book traces the development of the fortifications over time, explores the many purposes which they served, and shows how they were defended against a series of major attacks: most notably during the Prayer Book rebellion of 1549...

The city of Exeter was one of the great provincial capitals of late medieval and early modern England and possessed a range of civic amenities fully commensurate with its size and importance. Among the most impressive of these was its highly sophisticated water supply system. Beautifully illustrated, Water in the City reveals the story of that system's rise, zenith, and eventual decline. Mark Stoyle shows how and why the passages and aqueducts were originally built, considers the technologies that were used in their construction, explains how they were funded and maintained, and...