Description:
This study is a micro-history of an exceptionally well-documented seventeenth century English village, which analyzes the social, economic, and spatial relations between some 780 inhabitants in the Warwickshire parish of Chilvers Coton in 1684.
Review Quotes: "The book we have is excellent, particularly as an engaging and authoritative way for students and newcomers to the seventeenth century to immerse themselves in the experiences of daily life, to learn much of what they need to know, to see how much work is involved in mastering the subject, and hopefully to be inspired to do so by a historian whose mastery of the subject is evident on every page." -- Henry French, Family and Community History vol. 26 /3
"The Social Topography of a Rural Community provides a fine example of how to use record linkage productively." -- The Local Historian"In The Social Topography of a Rural Community, Hindle made the right choice, and the result is a work that should feature in discussions of early modern society and economy for decades to come." -- Peter L. Larson, American Historical Review"The Social Topography of a Rural Community is an impressive work of historical archaeology." -- Deborah Valenze, LRB, June 2025"If you want a sense of how early modern social and economic relations operated within and around an English village, then Steve Hindle's long-awaited microhistory is now the definitive guide." -- James Fisher, Cultural and Social History, January 2025"... the conclusion [Hindle] emphasizes is more timeless than debates about specific trends: and rarely has [the historical agency of labouring people] been so masterfully illuminated as it is in this remarkable book." -- Mark Hailwood, Agricultural History Review, 2025"...this splendid book...the result is a work that should feature in discussions of early modern society and economy for decades to come." -- Peter L. Larson, American Historical Review, March 2025