Military welfare in the Midland counties during and after the British civil wars, 1642-c.1700

The British and Irish civil wars of the mid-seventeenth century are estimated to have claimed the lives of the greatest proportion of the population in British history. This article assesses the social impact of the conflict by examining the welfare administered to war victims in the Midlands between 1642 and c.1700. Analysing the records of parliamentary county committees and county Quarter Sessions, it examines the ways in which war victims negotiated with the authorities for charitable relief, and how much money they received. The article highlights the strains placed on provincial officials tasked with maintaining the welfare system, and the hardships and bereavement the conflict inflicted on combatants and their families. The fact that some war victims were receiving relief as late as the 1690s demonstrates that the impact of the civil wars lingered for decades after the fighting had ceased.