Transforming English rural society : the Verneys and the Claydons, 1600-1820 / John Broad.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Broad, John, 1945- author.

Series:

Cambridge studies in population, economy, and society in past time ; 40.

Cambridge studies in population, economy, and society in past time ; 40

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Verney family.

Administration of estates--England--Buckinghamshire--History.

Administration of estates.

Gentry--England--Buckinghamshire--History.

Gentry.

Great Britain--History--George III, 1760-1820--Biography.

Great Britain.

Great Britain--History--Stuarts, 1603-1714--Biography.

Great Britain--History--18th century--Biography.

Buckinghamshire (England)--Social conditions.

Buckinghamshire (England).

Buckinghamshire (England)--Rural conditions.

Buckinghamshire (England)--Biography.

Buckinghamshire (England)--History.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvi, 292 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2004.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Between 1540 and 1920 the English elite transformed the countryside and landscape by building up landed estates which were concentrated around their country houses. John Broad's study of the Verney family of Middle Claydon in Buckinghamshire demonstrates two sides of that process. Charting the family's rise to wealth impelled by a strong dynastic imperative, Broad shows how the Verneys sought out heiress marriages to expand wealth and income. In parallel, he shows how the family managed its estates to maximize income and transformed three local village communities, creating a pattern of 'open' and 'closed' villages familiar to nineteenth-century commentators. Based on the formidable Verney family archive with its abundant correspondence, this book also examines the world of poor relief, farming families as well as strategies for estate expansion and social enhancement. It will appeal to anyone interested in the English countryside as a dynamic force in social and economic history.

Contents:

1. Introduction

Part I. Re-establishing a Gentry Family 1600-57

2. A gentry family in county and court society 1603-57

3. The civil war and interregnum 1642-57

4. The creation of an enclosed estate 1600-57

Part II. The Shaping of Family and Village 1657-1736 : 5. Land, business and dynastic advance 1657-1736

6. The making of a modern landed estate

7. Power in the community

the making of an estate village 1660-1740

Part III. The Great Estate and Estate Communities c. 1700-1820: 8. The rise and fall of Verney fortunes in the 18th century 1736-1820

9. Transforming the Claydons in the eighteenth century

10. Conclusion

Appendix.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references (p. 280-289) and index.

ISBN:

1-107-14776-X

1-280-47781-4

0-511-19521-4

0-511-19587-7

0-511-19380-7

0-511-31423-X

0-511-49575-7

0-511-19454-4

OCLC:

173610024