The Essex village of Earls Colne boasts one of the most comprehensive collections of historical documents in Britain, and has been the subject of an intensive and ongoing research project to collate and computerise the surviving records. As such, Earls Colne is undoubtedly one of the most studied parishes in England. Yet whilst much is now known about the village and its inhabitants, little work has been done on the social relationships that bound the community together within its mental and physical landscape. As such, scholars will welcome Dr MacKinnon’s investigation into the social, political and cultural world of early modern England as represented by Earls Colne. The book provides a fresh approach to the study of the landscape of a seventeenth-century village by focussing on the relationships between political power and cultural artefacts. It examines how private, public and communal spaces within society were generated, gendered and governed, and how this was recorded and perpetuated in the records, names, and monuments of the parish and surrounding landscape. Yet whilst the ’elites’ tried to represent a select social landscape through their control of the local records and documents, these attempts were always counterbalanced by the less powerful members of the community who occupied and contested these spaces. By reconstructing the dynamics of Earls Colne through a careful reading and cross-referencing of the surviving documents, buildings and place names, this book offers a fascinating insight into how the sights and sounds of early modern society were imbued with the social relations of parish politics. As well as deepening our understanding of Earls Colne itself, the book offers historians the potential to revisit other local studies from a fresh perspective.

Joan Thirsk is unquestionably the leading English agricultural historian of her generation. In a writing career extending over half a century, she has made an individual and influential contribution to rural history and our understanding of the economic history of early modern England. As she enters her ninth decade (and her sixth decade of writing and publication), her capacity to lead her collegues into new areas of research is undiminished. This volume arises from a conference held in September 2002 to celebrate Joan's eightieth birthday. It addresses a number of characteristic Thirsk preoccupations - a concern for people and their lives; with landscape, region and peculiarity; and a fascination with alternative agriculture. The contributors are drawn from amongst Joan's former students and friends.

Issues for autumn 1961- include the Standing Conference for Local History Bulletin.

The European World 1500-1800 provides a concise and authoritative textbook for the centuries between the Renaissance and the French Revolution. It presents early modern Europe not as a mere transition phase, but a dynamic period worth studying in its own right. Written by an experienced team of specialists, associated with a university module of the same name, it offers a student-friendly introduction to all major themes and processes of early modern history. Structured in four parts dealing with socio-economic, religious, cultural and political issues, it adopts a broad geographical perspective: Western and Central Europe receive particular attention, but dedicated chapters also explore the wider global context. Thematic priorities include social structures, Reformation change, expanding cultural horizons and the emergence of the modern state. Specially designed to assist learning, The European World 1500-1800 features: up-to-date surveys of key topics written by an international team of historians suggestions for seminar discussion and further reading extracts from primary sources and vivid illustrations, including maps a glossary of key terms and concepts a chronology of major events a full index of persons, places and subjects a fully-featured companion website accessible at www.routledge.com/textbooks/9780415432535. The European World 1500-1800 will be essential reading for all students embarking on the discovery of the early modern period.