The British and Irish Civil Wars (1638–1652) are now taking centre stage as a critical event in the welfare history of Europe. During these wars, Parliament’s concern for the ‘commonweal’ led to a national pension scheme in England and Wales for those who had suffered ‘in the State’s service’. For the very first time, during the 1640s Parliament publicly assumed responsibility for such matters, signifying acceptance of the State’s duty of care to both its servicemen and their widows, orphans and dependents.
Many historians consider that the Civil Wars were the most unsettling experience the British and Irish peoples have ever undergone. Between 180,000 and 190,000 people, including civilians, died from combat and war-related diseases in England and Wales alone between 1642 and 1651. This represents a population loss of 3%. The percentage population loss in Scotland and Ireland was most probably far higher. A larger percentage of the British Isles’ population died as a direct result of the Civil Wars than in both World Wars, combined. Veterans and civilians were afflicted with mental health problems as a result of the conflict. The impact of this is easier to imagine when we consider how British society was traumatized by the psychological legacy of the World Wars.
Members of our lively project team will lead small tutorial groups to guide you through the many different kinds of petitions for welfare payments made by veterans and their families. Since 2017, the Civil Wars Petitions Project team has been digitizing and transcribing thousands of petitions written on behalf of war widows, orphans and maimed soldiers, who had survived their wounds but were now incapacitated and in need of financial support.
Using striking individual examples from our project website, our summer school will explore the powerful human-interest stories at the heart of their work. We will investigate themes of wounds, surgery, atrocities, medical care, how claimants sought relief and how participants looked back on the conflict. These petitions provide a powerful reminder that the human costs of war do not end with treaties and peace settlements, but linger on for generations. They also have a powerful resonance today, as the origins of our modern Military Covenant for the British Armed Forces.
Programme features
Your week will comprise:
- 9 hour-long lectures delivered by expert tutors
- 9 x 30-minute Q&A sessions
- 4 small-group workshops
- A full-day field trip to the National Civil War Centre at Newark
- An afternoon tour of Naseby Battlefield
- A demonstration of civil war drumming
- An Oxford civil war heritage walk
- Opening and closing drinks receptions
- Optional evening social programme
After the first session in college each morning, tea/coffee will be served during a 30-minute break.
Timetable
Sunday 10 July
Arrival at Merton College, with registration in the afternoon followed by an opening reception and dinner in the magnificent Dining Hall.
Monday 11 July
In the morning we will have the following lectures:
- The Human Costs of the British Civil Wars - Prof Andrew Hopper
- Petitioning in Civil War England - Dr Hannah Worthen
In the afternoon we will have the first small-group workshop on Civil War Petitions, followed by a screening of the film ‘Death Makes Me Poor’ and then a drum Demonstration.
Tuesday 12 July
In the morning we will have the following lectures:
- The Massacre of the Royalist Women at Naseby – Prof Mark Stoyle
- Skippon and the Wounded of Naseby – Dr Ismini Pells
In the afternoon we will have a tour of the Naseby battlefield.
Wednesday 13 July
In the morning we will have the following lecture:
- John Poyer – Civil War Rebel or Martyr? – Dr Lloyd Bowen
We will then have a small-group workshop on Civil War Petitions
In the afternoon, we will have the following lectures:
- Wounds and Surgery in the Civil Wars – Prof Stephen Rutherford
- The Fall of Shelford and Sieges of Newark – Dr David Appleby
Thursday 14 July
A full-day Field Trip to the National Civil War Centre in Newark
Friday 15 July
In the morning we will have the following lecture:
- War Widows, the Restoration and Revenge – Dr Stewart Beale
We will then have a small-group workshop on Civil War Petitions
In the afternoon we will have the following two lectures:
- Orphans and wardship during the Civil Wars – Diane Strange
- Remembering the Civil Wars – Dr Imogen Peck
> Read synposes of all lectures
To mark the end of the course we will have a closing drinks reception and a Gala Farewell Dinner
Engraving of Merton by David Loggan, c.1675
Merton College
Founded in 1264 by Walter de Merton, Bishop of Rochester and Chancellor of England, Merton College is one of the University of Oxford’s oldest and most beautiful colleges. Its medieval and later buildings form a compact whole with a fine garden bordered by the old city wall. Merton overloooks a wide stretch of meadow that leads down to the river Thames, and yet is it also located just 200 meters away from Oxford's beautiful and bustling High Street.
Merton hosts the oldest continuously-functioning library for university academics and students in the world. The College Gatehouse dates from the early fifteenth century, when Henry V granted a royal 'licence to crenellate', leading to the construction of the battlement tower above the present-day Lodge.
During your summer school you will have privileged access to many areas of the college closed to the general public. After your classes you can unwind in one of Merton’s magnificent gardens or explore the historic city of Oxford.
> Learn more about the history of Merton College
> Royal visitors to Merton College
During your course, you will stay in typical Oxford student accommodation at Merton College in buildings which range from the 18th to the 20th century. The rooms are ensuite which include private bathroom facilities (shower, washbasin and toilet).
Participants should note that bedrooms are modestly-furnished, do not have air-conditioning and are arranged on a staircase of four or five floors.
We regret that we are unable to offer you accommodation at Merton College prior to or following your course. Additionally, family or friends who are not enrolled in the programme cannot be accommodated in college.
