Stephen Porter (Editor), MacMillan Press Limited, 1996 236pp. Maps,£15.99

Considering the importance of London during the civil war period it is surprising that there has not been a study such as this until now. "London and the Civil War" is a collection of eight essays covering various aspects of London during the first civil war. The background to this book is a series of lectures which were presented by the Museum of London in 1992 to mark the 350th anniversary of the outbreak of the conflict. Stephen Porter's contribution to this program of lectures led eventually to this book. Revised versions of three of these lectures are included within this collection of essays.

The first essay, "London at the Outbreak of the Civil War", describes the capital during the approach to civil war. Its author, Rosemary Weinstein (curator of the Museum of London's sixteenth and seventeenth century collection) should be known to students of the civil war period through her research into the royalist cavalry colours held by the museum. It is often easy to overlook the social fabric which the civil war tore into but with the inclusion of this essay the events which follow can be viewed against what peace-time London was like and how the capital was developing. A fine piece which neatly sets the scene for the essays which follow (and I hope that she will build on this and follow her excellent work "Tudor London" (1994) with one on Stuart London).

"Insurgency, Counter-Insurgency and Inaction" considers the role of the City in the Great Rebellion. Robert Ashton looks at what caused the City to support Parliament and how instrumental it was in the outbreak of the civil war. Parallels between City and Parliament are discussed and the reasoning that led to moderate Londoners declaring "for king and parliament" are debated. The second half of this essay investigates what caused the City's support to wain then change following the end of the first civil war and the City's role in the subsequent "counter-revolution". Lawson Nagel's " 'A Great Bouncing at Every Man's Door': The Struggle for London's Militia in 1642" looks at a topic which is often overlooked by historians, namely what caused the Trained Bands to declare for Parliament and not the King. It discusses the need for internal security during the winter of 1641/2 and concludes with the early actions of the Trained Bands during the Autumn of 1642. Although there is some overlap, Lawson Nagel's essay prepares the way nicely for the next piece, "Citizen Soldiers: The Military Power of the City of London".

There are probably few better qualified to write on the London Trained Bands than Keith Roberts. His extensive knowledge on this topic results in a quite thorough study, avoiding the obvious trap of concentrating on the Trained Bands on campaign at the expense of the Trained Bands in London. This is not to say that the actions at Gloucester, Newbury and Basing House have been ignored. They haven't, and indeed they form part of an interesting discussion about the effectiveness of the Trained Bands on the offensive and on the defensive.

"The Lines of Communication: The Civil War Defences of London" is the title of Victor Smith and Peter Kelsey's essay. Their work on one of the largest defensive structures of early modern Europe is in three main parts. The first deals with the enabling and construction of the defences. Using various sources including the writings of the Venetian Ambassador and the account of William Lithgow, the design and construction of the defences are described, even making a case for the use of stone in some areas. The second part attempts to plot the locations of the defences. Building upon the work undertaken by N. G. Brett-James in the 1920s and 30s and by David Sturdy in 1975, this work includes a reproduction of Vertue's well known map of the defences and the lesser known one by Stukeley. The result of this area of study is the map of modern London superimposed with the Lines of Communication. Considering what must have been a vast amount of work by the authors in plotting the defences, the resulting map is disappointing, it is too small and the quality of the reproduction is poor. The last part of this essay looks at the use of the defences and their effect upon the capital. It discusses whether they were defendable, before closing with their dismantling in 1647. This is probably the most complete account of the defences to date. Ian Roy's "'This Proud Unthankefull City': A Cavalier View of London in the Civil War" looks at the capital from a Royalist perspective. It discusses the decline in relationships between the crown and City and Parliament during the crisis, arguing that the capital turned against the king through "the work of a dedicated minority", the "puritan faction". London was not entirely against the king, and this essay continues by looking at both the actual and imagined support enjoyed by Charles I. In closing, Ian Roy discusses the various schemes which were considered and/or enacted in an attempt to return the capital to the king. A interesting piece of work which looks at London from an overlooked perspective.

The amount of disruption which Civil War brought to London can not be understated. The conflict resulted in worsening conditions in the capital, trade was severely restricted and much of the peace-time work-force was absent for a variety of reasons. Even so, London was expected to fund the majority of the Parliamentary war effort. This, then, forms the basis of Stephen Porter's essay, "The Economic and Social Impact of the Civil War upon London". He looks at not London's effect upon the war but the war's effect upon London, a side of the question often ignored by historians. Social and economic history may not be as glamorous as its military counterpart but it is just as important, and I would say more so. This is a very interesting piece of work and it puts the previous essays into context. It discusses the wartime decline in industry, the service sector and trade. The absence of the court was devastating for not only those traders who were directly reliant on the court but there was a marked knock-on effect on others. In addition, Londoners were faced with harsher living conditions, higher taxation and plague. Although the war did bring benefits from increased military expenditure, the author concludes that the effect of the war upon the capital was a negative one.

The closing chapter is on a fairly unusual subject, but on reading is the ideal conclusion to this book. "Political Funerals during the English Revolution" looks at for contrasting funerals, the state funerals of John Pym and the earl of Essex and those of Colonel Thomas Rainborowe and Robert Lockyer. The public's response to these possibly sums up the general feeling towards the conflict and how it changed. Ian Gentles discusses how important the state funerals of Pym and Essex where for differing propaganda purposes. Remember that Pym died whilst he was a Parliamentary leader, and Essex after he had fallen from grace (although at the time the Presbyterian party was in the ascendancy). The funerals of Rainborowe and Lockyer were more of a public demonstration of defiance against those who opposed radicalism. The author concludes a very fine essay with "the exploitation of religious ritual for political ends was thus no invention of the twentieth century."

In conclusion, all the essays are very informative and readable and contain a great deal of detail. The accompanying references are very useful and each of the authors should be congratulated on their work. I would, however, liked to have seen more maps and illustrations and a better standard of reproduction of the three maps which have been included. In addition, it would of been useful if the scope of the book had been enlarged to include the entire civil war period, perhaps even as large as the period 1640 to 1660. However, these criticisms aside, it is a fine book on an important subject (I'm a little surprised that we have had to wait until now for such a study) and I would recommend the paperback (at £40.00 the hardback is a little too expensive) to any student of the period regardless of primary interest, such is the importance of London during the Civil War.

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