Consumption and gender in the early seventeenth-century household : the world of Alice Le Strange / Jane Whittle and Elizabeth Griffiths.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Whittle, Jane, author.

Griffiths, Elizabeth, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Le Strange, Alice, 1585-1656.

Le Strange, Alice.

Housewives--England--Economic conditions--17th century.

Housewives.

Households--Economic aspects--England--History--17th century.

Households.

Home economics--England--Accounting--History--17th century.

Home economics.

Consumption (Economics)--England--History--17th century.

Consumption (Economics).

Shopping--History.

Shopping.

Gender Identity--history.

Feeding Behavior--history.

History.

Accounting.

Households--Economic aspects.

Economic conditions.

Norfolk (England).

England.

Medical Subjects:

Gender Identity--history.

Feeding Behavior--history.

Physical Description:

xvii, 266 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2012.

Summary:

Lady Alice Le Strange of Hunstanton in Norfolk kept a continuous series of household accounts from 1610-1654. The authors have used the Le Stranges' rich archives to reconstruct the material aspects of family life. This involves looking not only at purchases, but also at home production and gifts, and not only at the luxurious, but at the everyday consumption of food and medical care. Here the context of household consumption is illuminated, and instead of finding tradition and stability, it is revealed that this was a life of constant change and innovation. The book looks into details at who managed the provisioning, purchases, and work within the household, how spending on sons and daughters differed, and whether men and women attached different cultural values to household goods. This single household economy provides a window into some of the most significant cultural and economic issues of early modern England, innovations in trade, retail and production, the basis of gentry power, social relations in the countryside, and the gendering of family life.

Contents:

1 Issues and Context 1

History and consumption 2

Consumption and gender 8

Consumption and the gentry 14

The Le Strange family 18

Methods and chapter plan 23

2 Household Management 26

Alice Le Strange's accounts 28

Household and estate management 34

Gentlewomen as housewives 36

Two other Norfolk families 43

Conclusion 48

3 The Acquisition of Goods 49

Domestic expenditure 50

Urban shopping 55

The acquisition of clothing and furnishings 64

The acquisition of food 72

Conclusion 84

4 Everyday Consumables 86

Diet 88

The meanings of food 97

Medical care 105

Household consumables 111

Conclusion 115

5 Material Culture 117

Textiles and clothing 119

Beds and living rooms 132

Dining ware and kitchen ware 140

The meanings of goods 145

Conclusion 153

6 Family Life Cycle and Consumption 156

Life cycle and expenditure 157

Births, deaths and marriages 164

Childhood and childcare 170

Education and adult children 174

Conclusion 181

7 Elite Consumption 184

Political and legal expenses 185

Travel and leisure 191

Literature, music and science 196

Building and estate improvement 203

Conclusion 208

8 The Employment of Labour 210

Servants 212

Day labourers 221

Craftsmen and specialist workers 225

The Le Stranges and the local community 228

Conclusion 236

9 Conclusion 239.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [243]-251) and index.

ISBN:

9780199233533

0199233535

OCLC:

761379362