"English Society, 1580-1680" paints a picture of society and rural change in the late 16th and 17th centuries. It discusses both the enduring characteristics of society as well as the course of social change. The book emphasizes the wide variation in experience between different social groups and local communities, and the unevenness of the processes of transition, to build up an overall interpretation of continuity and change.

English Society, 1580-1680 paints a fascinating picture of society and rural change in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Keith Wrightson discusses both the enduring characteristics of society as well as the course of social change, and emphasizes the wide variation in experience between different social groups and local communities. This is an excellent interpretation of English society, its continuity and its change.

The rise of social history has had a transforming influence on the history of early modern England. It has broadened the historical agenda to include many previously little-studied, or wholly neglected, dimensions of the English past. It has also provided a fuller context for understanding more established themes in the political, religious, economic and intellectual histories of the period. This volume serves two main purposes. Firstly, it summarises, in an accessible way, the principal findings of forty years of research on English society in this period, providing a comprehensive overview of social and cultural change in an era vital to the development of English social identities. Second, the chapters, by leading experts, also stimulate fresh thinking by not only taking stock of current knowledge but also extending it, identifying problems, proposing fresh interpretations and pointing to unexplored possibilities. It will be essential reading for students, teachers and general readers.

The rise of social history has had a transforming influence on the history of early modern England. It has broadened the historical agenda to include many previously little-studied, or wholly neglected, dimensions of the English past. It has also provided a fuller context for understanding more established themes in the political, religious, economic and intellectual histories of the period. This volume serves two main purposes. Firstly, it summarises, in an accessible way, the principal findings of forty years of research on English society in this period, providing a comprehensive overview of social and cultural change in an era vital to the development of English social identities. Second, the chapters, by leading experts, also stimulate fresh thinking by not only taking stock of current knowledge but also extending it, identifying problems, proposing fresh interpretations and pointing to unexplored possibilities. It will be essential reading for students, teachers and general readers.

A rich picture of the complexities of early industrial development in the north-east of England. Historians increasingly emphasise that, in order to understand the industrial revolution fully as an economic, social and political process, the subject is best viewed from a regional, rather than a national, perspective. This book applies such an approach to the north-east of England in the early modern period, when, it is argued, the region experienced an early industrial revolution. Putting forward several new research findings and much new thinking, and covering many aspects of the economy of north-east England in the period, the book shows how rich and varied it was, and how vital the interplay of social, political and cultural forces was for industrial development. The book demonstrates that the economy of north-east England was not dominated by coal alone, and that previous historians' focus on 'the working class' misrepresents the full complexities of society in the period. Overall, the book has much to offer economic and social historians and historians of regional development generally, not just those interested in north-east England. ADRIAN GREEN is Lecturer in History at Durham University. He is co-editor ofRegional Identities in North-East England, 1300-2000 (The Boydell Press, 2007). BARBARA CROSBIE is Assistant Professor in History at Durham University, and is completing a study of The Rising Generations: AgeRelations and Cultural Change in Eighteenth-Century England. Contributors: A. T. BROWN, JOHN BROWN, ANDY BURN, BARBARA CROSBIE, ADRIAN GREEN , MATTHEW D. GREENHALL, LINDSAY HOUPT-VARNER, GWENDA MORGAN, PETER RUSHTON, LEONA SKELTON, PETER D. WRIGHT, KEITH WRIGHTSON

An outstanding collection, bringing together some of the leading historians of this period with some of the field's rising stars, which examines key issues in popular politics, the negotiation of power, strategies of legitimation,and the languages of politics. One of the most notable currents in social, cultural and political historiography is the interrogation of the categories of 'elite' and 'popular' politics and their relationship to each other, as well as the exploration of why andhow different sorts of people engaged with politics and behaved politically. While such issues are timeless, they hold a special importance for a society experiencing rapid political and social change, like early modern England.No one has done more to define these agendas for early modern historians than John Walter. His work has been hugely influential, and at its heart has been the analysis of the political agency of ordinary people. The essays in thisvolume engage with the central issues of Walter's work, ranging across the politics of poverty, dearth and household, popular political consciousness and practice more broadly, and religion and politics during the English revolution. This outstanding collection, bringing together some of the leading historians of this period with some of the field's rising stars, will appeal to anyone interested in the social, cultural and political history of early modern England or issues of popular political consciousness and behaviour more generally. MICHAEL J. BRADDICK is professor of history at the University of Sheffield. PHIL WITHINGTON is professor of history at the Universityof Sheffield. CONTRIBUTORS: Michael J. Braddick, J. C. Davis, Amanda Flather, Steve Hindle, Mark Knights, John Morrill, Alexandra Shepard, Paul Slack, Richard M. Smith, Clodagh Tait, Keith Thomas, Phil Withington, Andy Wood, Keith Wrightson.

"A brilliant and persuasive synthesis of the best recent work in all fields of seventeenth century English history."--Christopher Hill "A triumphant success . . . deserves to be widely read."--H. T. Dickinson "Conceived as an intellectual whole and vibrantly alive."--John Kenyon, The Observer English Society, 1580-1680 paints a fascinating picture of society and societal change in the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It discusses both the enduring characteristics of society as well as the course of social change. The book emphasizes the wide variation in experience between different social groups and local communities, and the unevenness of the process of transition, to build up an overall interpretation of continuity and change. In this edition, Keith Wrightson provides a new introduction to set the book in its context and to reflect on recent research, together with an updated guide to further reading. Keith Wrightson is a professor of history at Yale University. His many books include Earthly Necessities: Economic Lives in Early Modern Britain.

This important new book, widely praised in hardcover (Yale UP) redefines the economic history of early modern Britain for a new generation of readers. Wrightson writes evocatively about the basic institutions and relationships of economic life, tracing the process of change, and examining how these changes affected men, women and children at all social levels. Novel in its structure, scope, and emphasis on the lived experience of the period, the book vividly demonstrates the gains and costs of economic change.

This classic study of a single community in early modern England has had a major influence on the interpretation of the period. The authors examine the interaction of demographic, economic, social, administrative, and cultural change on the villagers of Terling between 1525 and 1700. This revised edition has a new chapter which brings the discussion right up to date, addresses the debates occasioned by the first edition, defending, elaborating, and advancing its argument in the light of subsequent research.