'The Governor's wife': women and garrisons in the English civil war

Hughes, Ann

Abstract

This article considers Lucy Hutchinson’s role as the ‘Governor’s wife’ in the garrison of Nottingham Castle during the English Civil War. Her own account in the ‘Life of Colonel Hutchinson’ is contextualised through general analysis of women’s presence in garrisons, and more specific treatment of other Governor’s wives. Nottingham is contrasted with Warwick Castle where pre-civil war hierarchies and relationships overshadowed new military arrangements. Garrisons were a site of militarised domesticity where governors wielded a type of patriarchal household authority, and capable wives played an important part. Archival evidence suggests that Lucy Hutchinson was recognised as a key member of the garrison’s administration.

Citation

Hughes, A. (2023). 'The Governor's wife': women and garrisons in the English civil war. Seventeenth Century, 38(3), 461-474. https://doi.org/10.1080/0268117X.2023.2197380

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 9, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Jun 6, 2023
• Publication Date: May 4, 2023
• Deposit Date: Oct 6, 2023
• Journal: SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
• Print ISSN: 0268-117X
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 38
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 461-474
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0268117X.2023.2197380
• Keywords: Lucy Hutchinson; garrisons; governors; Warwick Castle; Nottingham; civil war