War
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Websites
English Civil Wars
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/crossby/ECW/index.htm
Offers a summary of the political events, the people involved, the
battles and the technology of 17th-century warfare.
English Civil War Society – A re-enactment group
http://english-civil-war-society.org/
public_html/index.html
Contains information about the activities of the re-enactment group and its
research into the 17th century, plus an online discussion forum.
Civil War
www.open2.net/civilwar
Offers detailed analysis of the personalities, events and battles
of the Civil War era. Also considers the century of 'tremors' that precipitated
the upheaval, and explores the 'aftershocks' that continue to affect
British and Irish politics to the present day. A joint BBC/Open University
website.
Choosing Sides in the English Civil War
www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/englishcivilwar/
choosingsides_01.shtml
Excellent article by Dr Mark Stoyle, on the BBC History website,
in which he examines the complex motivations behind the allegiances in the
civil war.
The Sealed Knot
www.sealedknot.org
Re-enactment society named after a group that, during the Protectorate,
plotted the restoration of the monarchy.
British History
www.british-history.com
Information on the English Civil War, with a full list of the battles
plus maps.
The Oliver Cromwell website
www.olivercromwell.org
Set up by the Cromwell Association, looks at Oliver Cromwell's life
as a soldier, politician and private individual.
Britain’s very own Taliban
www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FQP/
is_4568_130/ai_81761699
Fascinating New Statesman article by historian Tristram Hunt, in which
he asserts that ‘Oliver Cromwell's Puritans were fundamentalists who
banned Christmas, outlawed holly and covered up their women’, and Cromwell
himself was not the hero of the common man and protector of democracy that
New Labour has tried to paint him.
The Pamphleteers’ Protestant Champion
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/journals/EH/
EH34/creed34.html
Interesting (if long) article by Kevin A Creed, which views ‘Oliver Cromwell
through the media of his day’ – pamphlets, sermons and broadsides.
The Regicides
www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/biog/regicides.htm
Part of the British Civil Wars, Commonwealth and Protectorate 1638-60 website,
this has just about everything you could possibly want to know about the men
who signed Charles I’s death warrant or simply had urged others to do
so. There are brief biographies of more than 60 of them.
Original Historical Texts
www.adelpha.com/~davidco/History/histinde.htm
Original 17th-century newspapers, which include coverage of the execution
of Charles I and the death of Oliver Cromwell.
The Siege of Brampton Bryan Castle
www.smr.herefordshire.gov.uk/education/tudor/
The%20Siege%20of%20Brampton%20Bryan.htm
Detailed account of how Brilliana, Lady Harley held the family castle against
Royalist forces in 1642.
Essex in the Civil War: A county for Parliament
www.learntolearn.ac.uk/essex/index.html
Interesting website that exploits the civil war sources housed in the Essex
Record Office.
Books
The causes and meaning of the Civil Wars
Causes
of the English Revolution 1529-1642 by Lawrence Stone (Routledge,
2001)
A sophisticated account of the scholarly controversies about whether the English
Civil Wars were inevitable or a chance event.
Get
this book
The
Debate on the English Revolution by R C Richardson (Manchester
University Press, 3rd ed. 1998)
A clear guide to the many controversies about the origins and meaning of the
English Civil Wars.
Get
this book
Roundhead
Reputations: The English Civil Wars and the passions of posterity by
Blair Worden (Penguin, 2002)
The book shows how the memory of the civil wars, and rival interpretations
of them, have permeated English thinking. A long section traces the changing
reputation of Oliver Cromwell, a villain to some and a hero to others.
Get
this book
The conflict itself
The
Civil Wars of England by John Kenyon (Weidenfeld & Nicolson,
new ed 1996)
A good, well-written and pithy introduction to the complex and controversial
arena of Civil War history.
Get
this book
The English People and the English Revolution by
Brian Manning (Bookmarks, 1991). Out of print.
Weighty analysis that sees the English Civil Wars as a class struggle, and
looks at popular participation in the conflict.
The English Revolution, 1640 by Christopher
Hill (first published 1940; Lawrence & Wishart, 1955)
Brief, readable and provocative Marxist account that sees the English Civil
War as a class war.
Get
this book
The
Great Rebellion 1642-60 by Ivan Roots (Sutton, rev. ed. 1995)
Lucid and full account that sees the English Civil Wars as a rebellion rather
than a revolution. A good introduction.
Get
this book
The King's War 1641-47 by C V Wedgwood (first
published in 1958; Penguin, 2001). Out of print.
Classic narrative account of the English Civil Wars, full of detail but very
easy to read. An excellent introduction.
Rebellion or Revolution? England from Civil War to
Restoration by G E Aylmer. Out of print.
Clear and balanced account of the main themes of English Civil War history.
The
Royalist War Effort 1642-1646 by Ronald Hutton (Routledge, 2nd
ed 2002)
Shows how the Royalists developed and sustained their military machine during
the 1st Civil War, and why they ultimately lost.
Get
this book
This War without an Enemy: A history of the English
Civil Wars by Richard Ollard (first published 1976; Weidenfeld & Nicolson,
2000). Out of print.
A readable account of the effects of the English Civil Wars on communities,
families and ordinary people.
Understanding
Popular Violence in the English Revolution: The Colchester plunderers by
J Walter (Cambridge University Press, 1999)
A critical re-evaluation of one of the best-known episodes of crowd action
in the English Civil Wars, in which thousands of people plundered the houses
of the landed classes.
Get
this book
Oliver Cromwell
Cromwell:
Chief of men by Antonia Fraser (first published 1973; Phoenix,
2004)
A detailed and sound account, written with a real feel for the narrative of
Oliver Cromwell's life.
Get
this book
God's
Englishman: Oliver Cromwell and the English Revolution by Christopher
Hill (Penguin, 2000)
Not just a biography but a survey of 17th-century English history as seen through
Oliver Cromwell's eyes, with an emphasis on the role of religion.
Get
this book
Cromwell:
An honourable enemy – The untold story of the Cromwellian invasion
of Ireland by Tom Reilly (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2000)
Cromwell has long been regarded as a genocidal maniac and a religious fanatic – one
of the most reviled figures in Irish history. But, argues Tom Reilly, the traditional
viewpoint lacks any solid evidence.
Get
this book
Cromwell in Ireland by James Scott Wheeler (Gill & Macmillan,
2000)
Full account of Oliver Cromwell's campaign to complete the English conquest
of Ireland.
Get
this book
Women and the wars
The
Weaker Vessel: Woman’s lot in the 17th century by Antonia
Fraser (first published in 1984, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, new edition
2002)
An expert on the period, Fraser brings to life the many and various women she
has encountered in her considerable research: governesses, milkmaids, fishwives,
nuns, defenders of castles (Brilliana, Lady Harley), courtesans, countesses,
witches and widows.
Get
this book
Unbridled
Spirits: Women of the English Revolution 1640-1660 by Stevie Davies
(Women’s Press, 1998)
Resurrects forgotten texts to bring to life ... prophetesses who predicted
the fall of the king and the rise and fall of Cromwell; Peace Women who marched
against the war; Leveller women who condemned oppressive legislators and abusive
taxes; Fifth Monarchists who attacked the government; separatist women who
founded dissenting churches and spoke for liberty of conscience; and radical
Quakers who stood for gender and class equality.
Get
this book
Women All on Fire: The women of the English Civil
War by Alison Plowden (Sutton, 2000)
The story of women in the conflict, from Queen Henrietta Maria to ordinary
women such as the oyster wenches of London who dug trenches to defend the city.
Includes Lady Brilliana Harley who held Brampton Bryan Castle in Herefordshire
against the Royalists.
Get
this book
Places to visit
The Commandery Civil War Centre
Sidbury
Worcester WR1 2HU
Tel: 01905 361 821
Fax: 01905 361 822
Website: www.worcestercitymuseums.org.uk/comm/
combuld/combuld.htm
During the battle of Worcester, Charles II made the Commandery the Royalist
headquarters. Today, the museum has fascinating displays telling the dramatic
story of one of England's most turbulent periods of history, including the
trial of Charles I.
Cromwell Museum, Huntingdon
Grammar School Walk
Huntingdon
Cambridgeshire PE29 3LF
Tel: 01480 375 380
E-mail: cromwellmuseum@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Website: http://edweb.camcnty.gov.uk/cromwell
The only museum dedicated solely to Oliver Cromwell houses personal letters,
family possessions, portraits and documents relating to Cromwell and his family.
The museum is housed on the site of the grammar school that the Lord Protector
once attended. Website contains information about books, portraits and documents,
as well as an online exhibition.
The Cromwell Collection, Huntingdon
Huntingdon Library
Princes Street
Huntingdon
Cambridgeshire PE29 3PH
Tel: 0845 045 5225
E-mail: cromwell.collection@cambridge.gov.uk
Website: www.cromwellcollection.org.uk
In 2002, the collection was created by adding to the existing library collection
a substantial amount of new material plus the Cromwell
Association’s library. The result, together with the resources of
the Cromwell Museum (see above) and the County Record Office in Huntingdon,
is one of the most comprehensive collections of material on Oliver Cromwell
and his times outside academic circles, available to people of all ages.
Museum of London
London Wall
London EC2Y 5HN
Tel: 0870 444 3852
Information line: 0870 444 3851
E-mail: info@museumoflondon.org.uk
Website: www.museumoflondon.org.uk
The museum's Cromwell Collection is one of the largest of its kind. Formed
by Sir Richard Tangye, a wealthy 19th-century industrialist and passionate
enthusiast for all things Cromwell, it includes many rare manuscripts and printed
books, medals, paintings, objets d'art and a bizarre assemblage of
'relics', such as Cromwell's Bible, button, coffin plate, death mask (in the
museum's 'Macabre London' gallery) and funeral escutcheon.
Brampton Bryan Castle
On the A4113, 10 miles west of Ludlow, Shropshire
Website: www.castles99.ukprint.com/Essays/brampton.html
The castle held against Royalist forces by Brilliana, Lady Harley. The curtain
walls and ruins of the towers and square gatehouse remain. The castle is privately
owned, but is occasionally open to the public.
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