Burton upon Trent in the 17th Century
17th Century Overview: The 1600s brought profound upheaval and structural transition to Burton upon Trent. Following the post-Dissolution rise of the Paget family as secular lords, the town was swept into the English Civil War as a heavily contested river crossing. The late Stuart era saw recovery through expanding textile industries, regional trade, and the groundwork for commercial brewing.
Key Aspects of 17th-Century Burton
| Theme | 17th-Century Development | Impact on the Town |
|---|---|---|
| English Civil War | Burton Bridge changed hands multiple times between Royalist and Parliamentary forces. | Brought economic damage, military skirmishes, timber barricades, and heavy requisitions. |
| Manorial Governance | The Paget family managed local courts, market rights, and former abbey estates. | Directed urban administration and leasehold developments across the borough. |
| Early Brewing Industry | Inns and public breweries expanded commercial production beyond household scale. | Laid the foundations for Burton's national commercial brewing trade in the 18th century. |
| Textiles & Trades | Growth in cloth production, felt-hat making, tanning, and metal smithing. | Diversified the town's economy alongside traditional agricultural markets. |
1. The English Civil War & Strategic Conflicts
During the English Civil War (1642–1651), Burton upon Trent's position along the River Trent made it a vital military objective. Burton Bridge served as one of the few permanent crossings between Royalist garrisons at Lichfield and Tutbury Castle, and Parliamentary strongholds across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.
Between 1642 and 1646, control of Burton changed hands at least twelve times. The town suffered heavily under repeated military occupations, requisitions, and destruction of property as both forces fortified the town ends of the bridge with timber barricades and earthwork defenses.
Civil War Defenses: Historical records indicate that timber barricades, gates, and earthwork fortifications were erected at the town end of the bridge during the 1640s, with heavy artillery positioned to deny passage across the Trent valley floor.
2. Post-Reformation Governance & Civic Life
With Burton Abbey dissolved in the previous century, the Paget family ruled as Lords of the Manor throughout the 1600s. Operating through their manorial courts, they controlled market tolls, appointed local officers, and leased former monastic lands. Despite national political turmoil, the weekly markets and annual fairs along High Street continued to draw traders from across Staffordshire and Derbyshire.
The 17th century also saw civic challenges, including outbreaks of the plague in the earlier decades and significant fires that damaged timber-framed housing, gradually leading to increased brick construction in the town center.
3. Early Commercial Brewing & Trade Expansion
While brewing had existed locally since medieval monastic times, the 17th century marked its transition into an organized commercial trade. Town inns along the main thoroughfares began brewing surplus ale for transport to neighboring towns. The unique water quality—rich in gypsum from underground rock strata—was increasingly recognized for producing exceptionally clear and durable ale.
Alongside brewing, Burton's 17th-century economy thrived on felt-hat manufacturing, cloth fulling, leather tanning, and iron forging, setting the stage for the major transport infrastructure improvements that would follow in the early 1700s.