78 OTHER TENDENCIES OF SIXTEENTH 



beyond the middle of the seventeenth century unless 

 added to its income by marriage or trade. 1 



Thus, there was during the sixteenth and seventeenth 

 centuries, a great shifting of ownership and a considerable 

 social revolution, whichhowevor, was probably accompanied 

 by an increase rather than a decrease of landowners of 

 middle estate. We should remember also that during the 

 sixteenth and seventeenth centuries two events occurred 

 which tended to the same result. The dissolution of^the 

 monasteries and the Civil War. j?y the first, land to the 

 annual value of money, at that date, of .140,000, or, 

 estimate^ afr twenty years' purchase, of the Capital value 

 of 2,800,000 waa confiscated. 



The land so confiscated was thus distributed : 



Annual valtf& CaptigLwJM.%. 

 Given to bishoprics and other 



corporations. 21,000 420,000 



Leased by Crown. 50,000 1,000,000 

 Sold, or given to courtiers and 



officials, and others. 69,000 1,380,000 



This should probably be multiplied by at least twelve to 

 bring it up to the value to-day. Thus, it appears that land 

 to the annual value of some 820,000, or capital value of 

 cl 6,500,000, according to our money, was distributed among 

 some one thousand persons at once ; and of the remaining 

 land, which was at first leased, most had been alienated by 

 the end of the Tudor period. In all probability the actual 

 number of landowners was not much increased by the 

 original grants. Among the grantees we recognize many 



6 aldermen or aldermen's sons, 2 hoziers, 1 scrivener, 1 serving-man, 

 1 lawyer, among the novi homines. Cheshire, he says, ' fared better, 

 because they frequent London not so much.' 



1 Victoria County Hist. : Lincoln, pp. 324, 326. 



3 Cf. Fisher, Political Hist, of England, App. ii. Based on informa- 

 tion given by Dr. Savine, who has been lately at work on the Valor 

 Ecclesiasticus. 



