Individuals and Communities

Abstract

Village and parish communities persisted despite agricultural, religious, and political upheaval. Families stayed in the general area but moved to different villages and back again; this included villages in other neighbouring parishes. The reason these strong communities persisted despite changes that radically reshaped communities elsewhere lay in the leadership. In each village there was an oligarchy of wealthy peasant and then yeomen families who had been in the parish for generations; they served as manorial court jurors and churchwardens; these were also the men most likely to focus on commercial agriculture and more ‘individualistic’ practices. There was scope for individual actions, but there were also boundaries. This can be seen in reactions to the rebellion in 1569 and the English Civil War; conformity was key.