The Development of Agrarian Capitalism: Land and Labour in Norfolk 1440-1580This is an important new scholarly study of the roots of capitalism. Jane Whittle's penetrating examination of rural England in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries asks how capitalist it was, and how and why it changed over the century and a half under scrutiny. Her book intelligently relates ideas of peasant society and capitalism to a local study of north-east Norfolk, a county that was to become one of the crucibles of the so-called agrarian revolution. Dr Whittle uses the rich variety of historical sources produced by this precocious commercialized locality to examine a wide range of topics from the manorial system and serfdom, rights to land and the level of rent, the land market and inheritance, to the distribution of land and wealth, the numbers of landless, wage-earners, and rural craftsmen, servants, and the labour laws. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 5 | |
The Manorial System and its Legacy | 28 |
The Land Market and Inheritance Strategies | 85 |
Social Differentiation | 178 |
Other editions - View all
The Development of Agrarian Capitalism: Land and Labour in Norfolk, 1440-1580 Jane Whittle No preview available - 2000 |
Common terms and phrases
acquired acres Agrarian agreements agricultural appear assessed average bequests capitalism common court held court roll custom customary land daughters death decline demesne described detail discussed documents early economic employed employers enforcement England English evidence extent fact farming fifteenth fines four freehold held Hevingham Bishops hired holding household important included increased indictments inheritance John labour land market land transfers landholding late laws least less listed lived lord majority manor married Marsham means medieval nature Norfolk noted paid parish payment peasant period population possessed proportion quarter sessions rates received recorded relating relatively rental rents resident result returns Robert rural Saxthorpe Scottow serfdom servants shows sixteenth century social society sons Sources South Erpingham Statute structure suggests Table tenants tenure Thomas types village wage wealth widow wife women