Jonathan Mcgovern
Biographic Data
| ID | 3766198 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Jonathan Mcgovern |
| GIVEN NAMES | Jonathan |
| FAMILY NAME | Mcgovern |
| SIGNATURE | MCGOVERN J |
| AFFILIATIONS | Xiamen University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-0188-2757 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 21 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 5 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 21 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1945 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Law and Justice in the Court of the Marshalsea of the King’s Household, 1509–1547
The court of the marshalsea, which originated in the late thirteenth century, exercised jurisdiction over a circular area of twelve miles’ radius centered on the king’s current residence. This article offers the first scholarly discussion of this mysterious court in the reign of Henry VIII. It begins by discussing the court’s criminal jurisdiction and its judicial procedure in felony cases, explaining the significance of a 1542 statute that expan…
The Churchwardens’ Accounts of St. Botolph Without Aldersgate, London, 1466–1500
The Early Parliaments of Henry VIII, 1510-1523
Early Parliaments of Henry VIII, 1510-1523
An administrative study of Henry VIII's early parliaments (1510 to 1523), which systematically explains and analyses every aspect of parliament in the early sixteenth century. This book is an administrative study of Henry VIII's early parliaments (1510 to 1523). It systematically explains and analyses every aspect of parliament in the early sixteenth century, from legislative procedure to the composition of the House of Lords and the House of Com…
Delimiting Discourse
An Early Draft of John Hooker's The Order and usage how to keep a parliament in England in these days (c. 1571)
This article offers a discussion and transcription of a little‐known MS draft of John Hooker's parliamentary treatise The Order and usage how to keep a parliament in England in these days (c. 1571). This early draft differs significantly from the final printed version, indicating that the author worked hard to make improvements to the text. The article highlights the major differences between the draft and the final version, discussing them under…
A New Manuscript Witness of William Fleetwood’s ‘Instruccions coment et en quell maner Statutes serrount expoundes’ (c. 1578)
The official career of Sir Christopher Hales, attorney general and master of the rolls under Henry VIII
This article is the first study of the official career of Sir Christopher Hales. It casts new light on the workload and responsibilities of an early Tudor lawyer-administrator at the highest levels of government. It is structured around the principal stages in Hales's career: undersheriff of Kent (1507-8), solicitor general (1525-9), attorney general (1529-36) and master of the rolls (1536-41). Its chief contribution to scholarship is that it pro…
Note and Document
This article revisits the year book report of Pilkington's Case (1455), a much‐used source of information about Lancastrian parliamentary procedure. It shows that our understanding of this case can be considerably improved by comparing the report with the original private act and plea roll record. Most importantly of all, the article demonstrates that Pilkington's Case concerned a dispute over the crown's ability to amend acts by altering the roy…
State of the Field
This article discusses the development of administrative history from ancient times to the present day. It explains the importance of Thomas Madox, T. F. Tout and other pioneers of administrative history in modern England and France. It also discusses the golden age of early modern administrative history (roughly 1950–1990), in which administrative methods thrived under the auspices of Sir Geoffrey Elton. The final section discusses a recent resu…
Thomas More at the Exchequer
Schroder, Timothy. “A Marvel to Behold”
Schroder, Timothy. “A Marvel to Behold”: Gold and Silver at the Court of Henry VIII. An article from journal Renaissance and Reformation / Renaissance et Réforme (Experiencing the Environment in the Early Modern Period: Seasons, Senses, and Health), on Érudit
The Compters at Poultry and Wood Street in Early Modern London
This article examines the London compters in the early modern period. It reconstructs the layout, personnel and conditions of these prisons, as well as analysing the various reasons why people were imprisoned therein. It argues that the introduction of ‘Compter Ordinances’ in 1547 and the foundation of a new compter in Wood St. in 1555 were part of a raft of measures introduced by the city elites to tighten their control over municipal institutio…
Some Elizabethan Sermons Delivered at St Paul's Cross (1597)
This note identifies three dated sermons delivered at St Paul's Cross in 1597 which do not appear in Millar Maclure's Register of sermons . These sermons are recorded in an anonymous notebook probably written by a member of the Exchequer's staff
Royal Counsel in Tudor England, 1485–1603
Royal counsel in Tudor England has been a central historiographical theme for over twenty years. This review offers a critical assessment of the state of the field. It appraises historical and literary scholarship on both the theory and practice of royal counsel. Among other themes, it discusses the concepts of evil counsel and arcana imperii . The review concludes by suggesting priorities for future enquiry, including the need to think more care…
The Presentation of the Speaker of the Commons in Tudor Parliaments
This article analyses the presentation of the Commons’ Speaker in the Tudor age. It traces the medieval origins of this ceremony, arguing that it served not only as an opportunity for flamboyant rhetoric, but also as a politically significant event designed to impress upon the Commons its inferiority in the parliamentary hierarchy. The article also suggests that Elizabethan Speakers used their orations as a means of presenting counsel to the quee…
The development of the privy council oath in Tudor England
From the early thirteenth century to the present day, privy councillors have been required to swear an oath of office. This article demonstrates that at least four different council oaths were administered by chancery during the Tudor period, and that William Cecil drafted yet another revised oath in 1558, although this was never finished. The article compares the respective texts and explains the administrative and political reasons for each of …
The political sermons of Lancelot Andrewes
The political sermons of Lancelot Andrewes, delivered between 1607 and 1622 on the anniversaries of the Gowrie and Gunpowder Plots, deserve more attention than they have hitherto received. Although he has often been called a Jacobean absolutist, Andrewes is better described as a political Elizabethan. The key to his intellectual originality resides not in his fundamental theoretical positions but rather in his method of exegesis. Andrewes was the…
Newly Discovered Notes of a Sermon by Hugh Latimer
This article presents a transcript and brief analysis of sermon notes by a young lawyer from Derbyshire named Anthony Gell, who attended a sermon by Hugh Latimer in London during the reign of Edward VI. In this forgotten sermon, Latimer discussed the subjects of fasting and clerical education, and recommended the foundation of clerical colleges
Was Elizabethan England really a monarchical republic
For over thirty years, historians have argued that Elizabethan England was a ‘monarchical republic’. While the phrase was popularized by Patrick Collinson, it seems to have been invented by John Adams. This article assesses whether there can be any justification for the description. It begins with an analysis of the etymology of the words ‘commonwealth’ and ‘republic’ and proceeds to demonstrate that Elizabeth I exercised more direct control over…
Lawful Action of State Military Forces
The Compters at Poultry and Wood Street in Early Modern London
This article examines the London compters in the early modern period. It reconstructs the layout, personnel and conditions of these prisons, as well as analysing the various reasons why people were imprisoned therein. It argues that the introduction of ‘Compter Ordinances’ in 1547 and the foundation of a new compter in Wood St. in 1555 were part of a raft of measures introduced by the city elites to tighten their control over municipal institutio…
Royal Counsel in Tudor England, 1485–1603
Royal counsel in Tudor England has been a central historiographical theme for over twenty years. This review offers a critical assessment of the state of the field. It appraises historical and literary scholarship on both the theory and practice of royal counsel. Among other themes, it discusses the concepts of evil counsel and arcana imperii . The review concludes by suggesting priorities for future enquiry, including the need to think more care…
The Presentation of the Speaker of the Commons in Tudor Parliaments
This article analyses the presentation of the Commons’ Speaker in the Tudor age. It traces the medieval origins of this ceremony, arguing that it served not only as an opportunity for flamboyant rhetoric, but also as a politically significant event designed to impress upon the Commons its inferiority in the parliamentary hierarchy. The article also suggests that Elizabethan Speakers used their orations as a means of presenting counsel to the quee…
The development of the privy council oath in Tudor England
From the early thirteenth century to the present day, privy councillors have been required to swear an oath of office. This article demonstrates that at least four different council oaths were administered by chancery during the Tudor period, and that William Cecil drafted yet another revised oath in 1558, although this was never finished. The article compares the respective texts and explains the administrative and political reasons for each of …
Was Elizabethan England really a monarchical republic
For over thirty years, historians have argued that Elizabethan England was a ‘monarchical republic’. While the phrase was popularized by Patrick Collinson, it seems to have been invented by John Adams. This article assesses whether there can be any justification for the description. It begins with an analysis of the etymology of the words ‘commonwealth’ and ‘republic’ and proceeds to demonstrate that Elizabeth I exercised more direct control over…
Lawful Action of State Military Forces
The political sermons of Lancelot Andrewes
The political sermons of Lancelot Andrewes, delivered between 1607 and 1622 on the anniversaries of the Gowrie and Gunpowder Plots, deserve more attention than they have hitherto received. Although he has often been called a Jacobean absolutist, Andrewes is better described as a political Elizabethan. The key to his intellectual originality resides not in his fundamental theoretical positions but rather in his method of exegesis. Andrewes was the…
Newly Discovered Notes of a Sermon by Hugh Latimer
This article presents a transcript and brief analysis of sermon notes by a young lawyer from Derbyshire named Anthony Gell, who attended a sermon by Hugh Latimer in London during the reign of Edward VI. In this forgotten sermon, Latimer discussed the subjects of fasting and clerical education, and recommended the foundation of clerical colleges
Was Elizabethan England really a monarchical republic
For over thirty years, historians have argued that Elizabethan England was a ‘monarchical republic’. While the phrase was popularized by Patrick Collinson, it seems to have been invented by John Adams. This article assesses whether there can be any justification for the description. It begins with an analysis of the etymology of the words ‘commonwealth’ and ‘republic’ and proceeds to demonstrate that Elizabeth I exercised more direct control over…
The Presentation of the Speaker of the Commons in Tudor Parliaments
This article analyses the presentation of the Commons’ Speaker in the Tudor age. It traces the medieval origins of this ceremony, arguing that it served not only as an opportunity for flamboyant rhetoric, but also as a politically significant event designed to impress upon the Commons its inferiority in the parliamentary hierarchy. The article also suggests that Elizabethan Speakers used their orations as a means of presenting counsel to the quee…
The development of the privy council oath in Tudor England
From the early thirteenth century to the present day, privy councillors have been required to swear an oath of office. This article demonstrates that at least four different council oaths were administered by chancery during the Tudor period, and that William Cecil drafted yet another revised oath in 1558, although this was never finished. The article compares the respective texts and explains the administrative and political reasons for each of …
Thomas More at the Exchequer
Schroder, Timothy. “A Marvel to Behold”
Schroder, Timothy. “A Marvel to Behold”: Gold and Silver at the Court of Henry VIII. An article from journal Renaissance and Reformation / Renaissance et Réforme (Experiencing the Environment in the Early Modern Period: Seasons, Senses, and Health), on Érudit
The Compters at Poultry and Wood Street in Early Modern London
This article examines the London compters in the early modern period. It reconstructs the layout, personnel and conditions of these prisons, as well as analysing the various reasons why people were imprisoned therein. It argues that the introduction of ‘Compter Ordinances’ in 1547 and the foundation of a new compter in Wood St. in 1555 were part of a raft of measures introduced by the city elites to tighten their control over municipal institutio…
Some Elizabethan Sermons Delivered at St Paul's Cross (1597)
This note identifies three dated sermons delivered at St Paul's Cross in 1597 which do not appear in Millar Maclure's Register of sermons . These sermons are recorded in an anonymous notebook probably written by a member of the Exchequer's staff
Royal Counsel in Tudor England, 1485–1603
Royal counsel in Tudor England has been a central historiographical theme for over twenty years. This review offers a critical assessment of the state of the field. It appraises historical and literary scholarship on both the theory and practice of royal counsel. Among other themes, it discusses the concepts of evil counsel and arcana imperii . The review concludes by suggesting priorities for future enquiry, including the need to think more care…
Note and Document
This article revisits the year book report of Pilkington's Case (1455), a much‐used source of information about Lancastrian parliamentary procedure. It shows that our understanding of this case can be considerably improved by comparing the report with the original private act and plea roll record. Most importantly of all, the article demonstrates that Pilkington's Case concerned a dispute over the crown's ability to amend acts by altering the roy…
State of the Field
This article discusses the development of administrative history from ancient times to the present day. It explains the importance of Thomas Madox, T. F. Tout and other pioneers of administrative history in modern England and France. It also discusses the golden age of early modern administrative history (roughly 1950–1990), in which administrative methods thrived under the auspices of Sir Geoffrey Elton. The final section discusses a recent resu…
The Early Parliaments of Henry VIII, 1510-1523
Early Parliaments of Henry VIII, 1510-1523
An administrative study of Henry VIII's early parliaments (1510 to 1523), which systematically explains and analyses every aspect of parliament in the early sixteenth century. This book is an administrative study of Henry VIII's early parliaments (1510 to 1523). It systematically explains and analyses every aspect of parliament in the early sixteenth century, from legislative procedure to the composition of the House of Lords and the House of Com…
Delimiting Discourse
An Early Draft of John Hooker's The Order and usage how to keep a parliament in England in these days (c. 1571)
This article offers a discussion and transcription of a little‐known MS draft of John Hooker's parliamentary treatise The Order and usage how to keep a parliament in England in these days (c. 1571). This early draft differs significantly from the final printed version, indicating that the author worked hard to make improvements to the text. The article highlights the major differences between the draft and the final version, discussing them under…
A New Manuscript Witness of William Fleetwood’s ‘Instruccions coment et en quell maner Statutes serrount expoundes’ (c. 1578)
The official career of Sir Christopher Hales, attorney general and master of the rolls under Henry VIII
This article is the first study of the official career of Sir Christopher Hales. It casts new light on the workload and responsibilities of an early Tudor lawyer-administrator at the highest levels of government. It is structured around the principal stages in Hales's career: undersheriff of Kent (1507-8), solicitor general (1525-9), attorney general (1529-36) and master of the rolls (1536-41). Its chief contribution to scholarship is that it pro…
Law and Justice in the Court of the Marshalsea of the King’s Household, 1509–1547
The court of the marshalsea, which originated in the late thirteenth century, exercised jurisdiction over a circular area of twelve miles’ radius centered on the king’s current residence. This article offers the first scholarly discussion of this mysterious court in the reign of Henry VIII. It begins by discussing the court’s criminal jurisdiction and its judicial procedure in felony cases, explaining the significance of a 1542 statute that expan…
The Churchwardens’ Accounts of St. Botolph Without Aldersgate, London, 1466–1500
Political science (16 works) · Law (13 works) · History (10 works) · Historical Economic and Social Studies (9 works) · Philosophy (9 works) · Law (8 works) · Scottish History and National Identity (8 works) · Art (7 works) · Classics (7 works) · History (7 works)