This economic, social and cultural analysis of the nature and variety of production and consumption activities in households in Kent and Cornwall yields important new insights on the transition to capitalism in England.
'The analysis ... is the most sophisticated yet undertaken of these wonderful ... records.' - Southern History
Mark Overton is Professor of Economic and Social History at the University of Exeter. He is author of Agricultural Revolution in England (1996) and many articles on the agrarian history of England. Jane Whittle is a senior lecturer in Economic and Social History at the University of Exeter. She has published The Development of Agrarian Capitalism (2000), as well as articles in Past and Present, Continuity and Change, and Agricultural History Review. Darron Dean's academic career developed from an interest in ceramics. From his PhD on the development of the pottery industry 1650-1720, he became interested in the broader issues around household consumption. He is now writing a book on ICT in education. Andrew Hann's research centres on trade, markets and consumption in early modern England, with particular emphasis on the geographies of retailing, moral and market economies, and kinship and social networks.
1. Household Economies and Economic Development in Early Modern England 2. Probate Inventories 3. Household Production 4. By-Employment, Women's Work and 'Unproductive' Households 5. The Material Culture of Consumption 6. Rooms and Room-Use 7. Wealth, Occupation, Status and Location 8. Conclusion