The Constitutionalist Revolution: An Essay on the History of England, 1450-1642 (review)

This is a volume in the long-standing series Ideas in Context, originated by Quentin Skinner and now edited by him and James Tully. It is in fact the seventy-fifth book in the sequence, which seeks to integrate philosophy, the sciences, politics, and literature, and which includes studies of areas other than England and fields other than history.

Alan Cromartie is a Reader in Politics at the University of Reading. His basic theme is the development of constitutionalist ideas from the fifteenth century to the reign of Charles I. Throughout he emphasizes the importance of the common law, which he characterizes as the memory of generally agreed national customs. He sees this as more significant than parliamentary statute or royal prerogative. The writings of a number of major figures are discussed. In particular Cromartie analyzes the views of Sir Edward Coke, Sir John Fortescue, Richard Hooker, Christopher St. German, and King James VI and I, and he offers a new interpretation of the position of John Whitgift and William Laud. The relationship between secular and religious thought runs through the study and leads to the conclusion that secular considerations were of greater importance, even for churchmen. The role of Puritans figures in, and the author spends considerable time describing the position of different Puritan groups. An epilogue discusses the constitutionalism of John Locke.

As is perhaps inevitable in writing about ideas rather than events, the style is often involved and repetitive. Cromartie offers little in the way of historical background, and readers who do not remember the details of such things as Ship Money, the Five Knights Case, or the Humble Petition and Advice may have trouble following the discussions arising from them. The volume lacks a conclusion or summary that might lay out the argument clearly and succinctly. The work is based on a number of manuscript sources, mainly in the British Library, as well as printed works of the sixteenth and early seventeenth century. An excellent bibliography lists these volumes as well as a number of recent related studies, many of which are referred to and discussed in the main text.

In the end this is an interesting essay, but perhaps not one for the general reader.