ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the problem of credibility for opinions expressed by petitioners in the early public sphere in the English Revolution. It demonstrates the utility of sociological writings on a spatial concept place for studying this problem. The public sphere is an unavoidable topic in commentary on political space. Current historical research describes the expansion of popular discussion of public issues, links this to shifting political imperatives, and explores social contexts for popular political discourse. The chapter provides a parallel argument for political claims and the authority of public opinion in the English Revolution. The early modern public sphere was built by communicative practices that were not acknowledged in theory or otherwise legitimated by general principles. Contrary to a key tenet of critical theory, practice preceded theory. Contrary to another tenet, no boundary existed between the public sphere and places in civil society.
