242:". Burke was unusual in reverting to the ancient constitution because by the time he was writing it was usually employed by the reformist intelligentsia. Pocock argues that the doctrine of the ancient constitution may have helped Burke "create his intense historical awareness of the common-law tradition as 'the stationary policy of this kingdom'—as a factor shaping English political thought and behaviour".
101:
for those who saw the monarch as high-handed. In its theoretical aspects, this type of reasoning is now seen as loaded with politics or ideology, rather than being the antiquarian study its proponents claimed for it. Coke's style of argument was inherently conservative, based as it was on defending a
192:
Walpole's supporters in the press countered
Bolingbroke by claiming that the ancient constitution was a fiction: Englishmen owed their freedom to the Revolution of 1688 and to the modern Whigs. In order to undermine Bolingbroke's criticisms, they used Brady's work to maintain that Englishmen in the
161:
had completely changed
English law and had introduced feudal tenures. Whereas Petyt maintained that a class of freeholders had survived from Anglo-Saxon times despite the Norman Conquest, Brady argued that during the Middle Ages the population was entirely feudal, with no freeholders.
220:
drew upon
Spelman, Dugdale and Brady and explained no one doubted early parliaments were composed of the king and his great barons, which reflected that modern idea of progress was replacing the doctrine of an ancient constitution.
185:
of 1688 had sought to restore the ancient constitution but (Bolingbroke argued) it had been betrayed by
Walpole. Bolingbroke insisted that annual parliaments, the exclusion of
644:
408:
181:(1733–34) Bolingbroke asserted that the freedoms bestowed on Englishmen by the ancient constitution were undermined by Walpole's corrupt government. The
266:
102:
legal continuity claimed to be rooted in
English governance from before 1066; but it is now argued that a radical variant was developed in the
226:
166:
639:
390:
363:
332:
238:
indisputable laws and liberties ... We wished at the period of the
Revolution, and do now wish, to derive all we possess as
107:
67:
study of the law gathered momentum from the 15th century. It supported the theories of the ancient constitution. In his
69:
654:
620:
307:
51:(1st edition 1957; reissued "with a retrospect" 1987). This is not to be conflated with Bancroft-Prize-winner
613:
The
Ancient Constitution and the Feudal Law: a study of English historical thought in the seventeenth century
194:
121:
of the late 1670s and early 1680s, the theory of the ancient constitution was upheld by Whig writers such as
208:
published by an anonymous sources in 1647 that forcefully refuted its relevant arguments, the antiquity of
169:
sought to use the traditional Whig belief in the ancient constitution to criticise the Whig government of
261:
649:
251:
165:
During the 1730s the ancient constitution again became the subject of debate. The Tory politician
130:
380:
353:
189:
from parliament and a militia would save the ancient constitution from
Walpole's corruption.
134:
82:
256:
154:
94:
8:
590:
J. G. A. Pocock, 'Burke and the
Ancient Constitution—A Problem in the History of Ideas',
182:
40:
206:
The
Freeholders Grand Inquest touching our souveraigne Lord the King and his Parliament
616:
386:
359:
328:
303:
103:
98:
52:
32:
413:
209:
118:
28:
425:
201:(1734), argued that until the Revolution of 1688 there was no liberty in England.
608:
158:
150:
126:
78:
74:
44:
36:
170:
111:
417:
633:
146:
122:
466:
Bolingbroke and His Circle: The Politics of Nostalgia in the Age of Walpole
325:
The transatlantic constitution : colonial legal culture and the empire
231:
349:
64:
217:
24:
97:, reasoning based on the "ancient constitution" became available as a
186:
347:
204:
Receiving criticism from various sources, one of which included
234:
argued that the Revolution of 1688 was "made to preserve our
438:
Isaac Kramnick, 'Editor's Introduction', in Kramnick (ed.),
570:
Reflections on the Revolution in France: A Critical Edition
145:(1695). Following the studies of feudal history made by
615:(2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
557:
Political and Constitutional Ideas of the Court Whigs
453:
English Scholars. 1660–1730. Second, revised edition
355:
The Cambridge History of Political Thought 1450-1700
382:
The British Constitution: A Very Short Introduction
645:History of the constitution of the United Kingdom
267:History of the constitution of the United Kingdom
631:
559:(Louisiana State University Press, 1982), p. 52.
302:. Cambridge University Press. pp. 374–411.
300:Cambridge History of Political Thought 1450-1700
378:
212:was gradually out of fashion. In his 1762 work
193:Middle Ages had not been free. The Whig writer
31:, used at the time in particular to oppose the
327:. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.
199:Ancient and Modern Liberty Stated and Compared
23:was a 17th-century political theory about the
442:(University of Chicago Press, 1972), p. xliv.
358:. Cambridge University Press. pp. 91–2.
412:(online ed.). Oxford University Press.
85:agreeing to maintain the Anglo-Saxon laws.
49:The Ancient Constitution and the Feudal Law
43:; and has been analysed in modern times by
572:(Stanford University Press, 2001), p. 181.
385:. Oxford University Press. pp. 24–5.
468:(Harvard University Press, 1968), p. 128.
73:Coke challenged the accepted view of the
455:(Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1951), p. 124.
406:Greenberg, Janelle. "Bacon, Nathaniel".
409:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
227:Reflections on the Revolution in France
139:Introduction to the Old English History
58:
632:
607:
322:
141:(1694) and in the first volume of his
440:Lord Bolingbroke: Historical Writings
405:
297:
293:
291:
240:an inheritance from our forefathers
13:
601:
288:
70:Institutes of the Lawes of England
14:
666:
379:Martin Loughlin (25 April 2013).
175:Remarks on the History of England
88:
55:'s "transatlantic constitution."
35:. It was developed initially by
594:, Vol. 3, No. 2 (1960), p. 143.
584:
575:
562:
549:
536:
523:
510:
497:
484:
471:
21:ancient constitution of England
458:
445:
432:
399:
372:
341:
316:
279:
1:
640:Political history of England
426:UK public library membership
77:by asserting it amounted to
7:
323:Bilder, Mary Sarah (2004).
262:Fundamental Laws of England
245:
179:A Dissertation upon Parties
27:, and the antiquity of the
10:
671:
544:Bolingbroke and His Circle
531:Bolingbroke and His Circle
520:(Constable, 1970), p. 198.
505:Bolingbroke and His Circle
492:Bolingbroke and His Circle
479:Bolingbroke and His Circle
252:Leges Edwardi Confessoris
16:Medieval political theory
272:
655:17th century in England
348:James Henderson Burns;
137:criticised them in his
592:The Historical Journal
581:Clark, p. 181, n. 126.
568:J. C. D. Clark (ed.),
546:, pp. 130–131, p. 135.
133:. The Royalist writer
418:10.1093/ref:odnb/1000
298:Burns, J. H. (1991).
83:William the Conqueror
352:(17 November 1994).
257:Rights of Englishmen
230:(1790), the Whig MP
153:, Brady argued that
95:Charles I of England
59:Legal antiquarianism
183:Glorious Revolution
63:The self-conscious
451:David C. Douglas,
214:History of England
143:History of England
650:Royal prerogative
516:H. T. Dickinson,
424:(Subscription or
392:978-0-19-969769-4
365:978-0-521-47772-7
334:978-0-674-01512-8
104:English Civil War
99:resistance theory
53:Mary Sarah Bilder
33:royal prerogative
662:
626:
609:Pocock, J. G. A.
595:
588:
582:
579:
573:
566:
560:
553:
547:
540:
534:
527:
521:
514:
508:
501:
495:
488:
482:
475:
469:
464:Isaac Kramnick,
462:
456:
449:
443:
436:
430:
429:
421:
403:
397:
396:
376:
370:
369:
345:
339:
338:
320:
314:
313:
295:
286:
283:
210:House of Commons
167:Lord Bolingbroke
119:Exclusion Crisis
93:In the reign of
29:House of Commons
670:
669:
665:
664:
663:
661:
660:
659:
630:
629:
623:
604:
602:Further reading
599:
598:
589:
585:
580:
576:
567:
563:
555:Reed Browning,
554:
550:
541:
537:
528:
524:
515:
511:
502:
498:
489:
485:
476:
472:
463:
459:
450:
446:
437:
433:
423:
404:
400:
393:
377:
373:
366:
346:
342:
335:
321:
317:
310:
296:
289:
284:
280:
275:
248:
159:Norman Conquest
151:William Dugdale
127:Algernon Sidney
114:in particular.
108:Nathaniel Bacon
91:
79:trial by battle
75:Norman Conquest
61:
45:J. G. A. Pocock
37:Sir Edward Coke
17:
12:
11:
5:
668:
658:
657:
652:
647:
642:
628:
627:
621:
603:
600:
597:
596:
583:
574:
561:
548:
535:
522:
509:
507:, pp. 129–130.
496:
483:
470:
457:
444:
431:
398:
391:
371:
364:
340:
333:
315:
308:
287:
277:
276:
274:
271:
270:
269:
264:
259:
254:
247:
244:
177:(1730–31) and
171:Robert Walpole
112:William Prynne
90:
89:Political role
87:
60:
57:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
667:
656:
653:
651:
648:
646:
643:
641:
638:
637:
635:
624:
618:
614:
610:
606:
605:
593:
587:
578:
571:
565:
558:
552:
545:
539:
532:
526:
519:
513:
506:
500:
493:
487:
480:
474:
467:
461:
454:
448:
441:
435:
427:
419:
415:
411:
410:
402:
394:
388:
384:
383:
375:
367:
361:
357:
356:
351:
344:
336:
330:
326:
319:
311:
305:
301:
294:
292:
282:
278:
268:
265:
263:
260:
258:
255:
253:
250:
249:
243:
241:
237:
233:
229:
228:
222:
219:
215:
211:
207:
202:
200:
196:
190:
188:
184:
180:
176:
172:
168:
163:
160:
156:
152:
148:
147:Henry Spelman
144:
140:
136:
132:
131:James Tyrrell
128:
124:
123:William Petyt
120:
115:
113:
109:
105:
100:
96:
86:
84:
80:
76:
72:
71:
66:
56:
54:
50:
46:
42:
38:
34:
30:
26:
22:
612:
591:
586:
577:
569:
564:
556:
551:
543:
538:
530:
525:
517:
512:
504:
499:
491:
486:
478:
473:
465:
460:
452:
447:
439:
434:
407:
401:
381:
374:
354:
343:
324:
318:
299:
285:Pocock 1987.
281:
239:
235:
232:Edmund Burke
225:
223:
213:
205:
203:
198:
191:
178:
174:
164:
142:
138:
135:Robert Brady
116:
92:
68:
62:
48:
20:
18:
518:Bolingbroke
350:Mark Goldie
195:Lord Hervey
117:During the
106:period, by
65:antiquarian
41:law reports
634:Categories
622:0521303524
542:Kramnick,
529:Kramnick,
503:Kramnick,
490:Kramnick,
477:Kramnick,
428:required.)
309:0521247160
218:David Hume
25:common law
533:, p. 130.
494:, p. 129.
481:, p. 128.
197:, in his
173:. In his
155:William I
39:, in his
611:(1987).
246:See also
187:placemen
236:antient
224:In his
157:at the
81:, with
619:
422:
389:
362:
331:
306:
273:Notes
617:ISBN
387:ISBN
360:ISBN
329:ISBN
304:ISBN
149:and
129:and
110:and
19:The
414:doi
47:in
636::
290:^
216:,
125:,
625:.
420:.
416::
395:.
368:.
337:.
312:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.