Publisher Description

This volume in New Studies in Economic and Social History examines the growth and development of English towns in the critical period between 1650 and 1850, when the proportion of the population living in towns rose from a sixth to a half. Christopher Chalklin surveys the demography, economy and social structure of market and county towns, port and manufacturing centres, new dockyard towns, spas and seaside resorts. He discusses house and public building, education, work and leisure activities, public duties and politics, and contrasts the emerging middle classes with the artisan and labouring masses. This book gives a detailed and coherent account of this formative period, drawing especially on recent research and new interpretations, including those which are controversial, published in monographs and learned journals. This concise study will be a valuable resource for students not only of urban history but also of economic and social history in general.

Table of Contents

1. The rise of urban England, 1650-1750; 2. The expansion of English towns, 1750-1850; 3. Some general aspects of urban life; 4. The building of towns; 5. The elite and middling people and their social background; 6. The elite and middling people: entertainments, social relations and public duties; 7. The lower orders; Conclusion.

Review

'... a very useful summary of recent scholarship on the subject ... His splendid new edition should make this 'extensive ledger of disappointment and bitterness' much better known.' Southern History Society "Dr. Chalkin achieves the notable feat of compressing two hundred years of urban history into less than eighty pages of text. Particularly welcome, and reflecting one of Chalkin's particular areas of expertise, is a wide-ranging chapter devoted to the construction of towns: their physical fabric, how building was undertaken, and who paid for it." H-Net Reviews "this is a book that will prove very useful to students approaching the subject for the first time...remarkably detailed" EH.NET Oct 2001

Review Quote

"this is a book that will prove very useful to students approaching the subject for the first time...remarkably detailed" EH.NET Oct 2001

Promotional "Headline"

This 2001 volume examines the growth and development of English towns in the critical period between 1650 and 1850.

Description for Bookstore

This 2001 volume examines the growth and development of English towns in the critical period between 1650 and 1850. In this concise study Christopher Chalklin draws upon recent publications incorporating new knowledge and interpretations, providing a valuable resource for students of economic, social and urban history.

Description for Library

This 2001 volume examines the growth and development of English towns in the critical period between 1650 and 1850. In this concise study Christopher Chalklin draws upon recent publications incorporating new knowledge and interpretations, providing a valuable resource for students of economic, social and urban history.

Details