Queen's Wards

Originally published in 1958, this new impression of The Queen’s Wards from 1973 made available once more a work that remains a significant contribution to the history of society and government in Elizabethan England.

The Court of Wards was a bizarre institution with roots going back to feudal mediaeval times. Revived by Henry VII, formally instituted by Henry VIII, 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.

The Court administered on behalf of the Crown the properties of fatherless minors (of whom there were many), bought and sold the rights to exploit these properties during the minority of the heirs, and even sold the heirs themselves into marriage (or withheld permission to marry). This control of marriage rights was clearly open to abuse, corruption and political exploitation, and as a symptom of Elizabethan times the Court provides an interesting and illuminating subject for study.

The system had a special significance in government policy and played a considerable role in the politics of the age: this is attested to by the fact that for nearly half a century the history of the Court of Wards is dominated by William Cecil (Lord Burghley) and his son Robert. Many other prominent courtiers and politicians were involved, and figure in this book.