Wanton Troopers

The causes of the three 'English' Civil Wars (1642 to 1645, 1648, and 1651) are complex and controversial - clashes of conviction, belief, and personality, and a struggle between opposing social groups and economic interests. But, whatever the focus of scholarship, many answers can be sought at the local level, among county communities that were far more outward-looking than once suggested. That is why Ian Beckett's in-depth study of Buckinghamshire, one of the pivotal counties during this turbulent period in British history, is of such value.