The experiences of war widows during and after the British civil wars, with particular reference to the Midlands
The British civil wars of the mid-seventeenth century are collectively estimated to have been the bloodiest conflict in British history. More than three percent of the pre-war population in England and Wales perished during the wars, a figure proportionally higher than British losses in any other conflict. Despite this, historians have paid little attention to the experiences of the thousands of women whose husbands were slain during the fighting. This thesis seeks to address this oversight by examining petitions for relief submitted by female war victims to various national and provincial authorities. It assesses the ways in which the various regimes who governed England during this period sought to provide for war victims, the petitioning strategies utilised by widows in order to access relief, and the ways in which the petitioning activities of widows at Westminster and Whitehall compared to those of their counterparts in the provinces. Private correspondence and print material are also utilised in order to gauge contemporary attitudes towards war victims. In doing so, the thesis sheds much light on the hardships inflicted on women during and after the civil wars. Yet the petitions for relief submitted
Beale, Stewart John
The experiences of war widows during and after the British civil wars, with particular reference to the Midlands. The British civil wars of the mid-seventeenth century are collectively estimated to have been the bloodiest conflict in British history. More than three percent of the pre-war population in England and Wales perished during the wars, a figure proportionally higher than British losses in any other conflict. Despite this, historians have paid little attention to the experiences of the thousands of women whose husbands were slain during the fighting. This thesis seeks to address this oversight by examining petitions for relief submitted by female war victims to various national and provincial authorities. It assesses the ways in which the various regimes who governed England during this period sought to provide for war victims, the petitioning strategies utilised by widows in order to access relief, and the ways in which the petitioning activities of widows at Westminster and Whitehall compared to those of their counterparts in the provinces. Private correspondence and print material are also utilised in order to gauge contemporary attitudes towards war victims. In doing so, the thesis sheds much light on the hardships inflicted on women during and after the civil wars. Yet the petitions for relief submitted
experience war widow british civil war particular_reference midlands british civil war collectively estimate bloody conflict british history percent pre_war population england_wales war figure high british loss conflict despite historian_pay little_attention experience thousand woman whose husband fight seek_address oversight examine petition relief submit female war victim various national provincial authority ass way various regime govern england_period seek_provide war victim petition strategy utilised widow order access relief way petition activity widow westminster whitehall compare counterpart province private correspondence print_material also utilised order gauge contemporary attitude_towards war victim shed much light hardship inflict woman civil_war yet petition relief submit