Vagrancy in English culture and society, 1650-1750 / David Hitchcock.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hitchcock, David J., author.

Series:

Cultures of early modern Europe.

Cultures of early modern Europe

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Rogues and vagabonds in literature.

Vagrancy in literature.

Vagrancy--Great Britain--History--17th century.

Vagrancy.

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

Physical Description:

1 online resource (249 pages) : illustrations, graphs, tables.

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Bloomsbury Academic, 2016.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"The first social and cultural history of vagrancy between 1650 and 1750, this book combines sources from across England and the Atlantic world to describe the shifting and desperate experiences of the very poorest and most marginalized of people in early modernity; the outcasts, the wandering destitute, the disabled veteran, the aged labourer, the solitary pregnant woman on the road and those referred to as vagabonds and beggars are all explored in this comprehensive account of the subject. Using a rich array of archival and literary sources, Vagrancy in English Culture and Society, 1650-1750 offers a history not only of the experiences of vagrants themselves, but also of how the settled 'better sort' perceived vagrancy, how it was culturally represented in both popular and elite literature as a shadowy underworld of dissembling rogues, gypsies, and pedlars, and how these representations powerfully affected the lives of vagrants themselves. Hitchcock's is an important study for all scholars and students interested in the social and cultural history of early modern England."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction: Sticks, Stones, Broken Bones

1. The Assumption of Idleness: Definitions of and Responses to Vagrancy in England

2. 'Rogue Ballads' and Popular Perceptions of Vagrancy

3. 'Rogue's Redemption': Vagrancy, Marginalisation and Escape in English Literature

4. The Hidden Histories of the Mobile Poor: Casual Relief and Roadside Subsistence

5. Masterless Women: Domestic Service and Female Subsistence Mobility

Conclusions: The Pillory and the Whipping Post

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

ISBN:

9781474296212

1474296211

9781472589958

1472589955

OCLC:

936549405