Vagrancy in English culture and society, 1650-1750

Author/Creator:

Hitchcock, David J., author

Publication/Creation:

London ; New York : Bloomsbury Academic, 2016

Resource Type:

Book

More Details

Additional/Related Title Information

Full Title:

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

Series Titles:

Cultures of early modern Europe
Cultures of early modern Europe.

Subjects/Genre

Subjects:

Rogues and vagabonds in literature
Vagrancy in literature
Vagrancy--Great Britain--History--17th century
Vagrancy--Great Britain--History--18th century

Description/Summary

Table of 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.

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."--

Language:

English

Language Note:

English

Physical Type/Description:

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

General Note:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Additional Physical Form:

Also issued in print.

Additional Identifiers

Catalog ID (MMSID):

9936946065202486

ISBN:

1-4742-9621-1
1-4725-8995-5

OCLC Number:

936549405

Other Identifiers:

doi: 10.5040/9781474296212