ABSTRACT
In the period before 1640 we looked at economics before politics. But in the revolutionary decades we must give first place to politics.
The House of Commons of the Long Parliament represented, as usual, a cross-section of the ruling class. It was composed of gentry, merchants, and lawyers. But the circumstances in which it was elected gave rise to some novel features. To an unprecedented extent elections were contested on political issues. Many members were elected not merely because of their social standing but because they were known to adopt a definite political attitude. At Great Marlow all the contestants were gentlemen; but one of them was a great local landowner who stood for the court interest, his father-in-law being Attorney-General.
