CIVILIZATION AND ITS EFFECT 69 



greatest landowner of the country and was replaced by 

 numerous private holders. At the same time this loss 

 of wealth compelled it to relinquish much of its work of 

 relief of poverty ; this responsibility for the poor was in 

 part taken up by private individuals and by voluntary 

 associations such as the gilds : whilst later, when the 

 voluntary method failed, the legislature intervened to 

 create the 'poor law,' which put the responsibility on 

 the nation. Meanwhile another change in the direction 

 of independence of thought took place in the religious 

 life, culminating in the movement with which the 

 Puritans were associated in the XVI Ith century. This 

 was followed by the foundation of the Nonconformist 

 movement, which stood outside the Anglican Church, 

 and from that time onward the villages of England have 

 been divided into two religious camps. 



Concurrently with these changes came alterations in 

 government. From the XlVth century onwards that 

 section of the upper classes which consisted 

 Local and o f the old landholding families, recruited by 

 government. tne town merchants and lawyers, have had 

 a growing influence in English public life. 

 After the fall of the Stuarts, this influence increased 

 and this section of society was able to gather into its 

 own hands the administration of Parliament, of rural 

 local government, administered in quarter and petty 

 sessions, and of rural justice. 



The new forms that government took were accom- 

 panied by new work and responsibilities, and at the 

 same time methods of taxation and rating were revised 

 and put on the basis that prevails to-day. 



Although the county gentry in their sessions con- 

 trolled the general administration of county affairs, 



