 | The English Town, 1680-1840: Government, Society and Culture Subjects: Agencies and Institutions; Rural and Urban Life; States of Mind; Class and Work; Humanities; Local State; Urbanisation; Philanthropy; Political Beliefs and Ideologies; Working Conditions; History; Local government; Radicalism; Wages; British History; Early Modern History 1500-1750; Social & Cultural History; An impressively thorough exploration of the changing functions, character and experience of English towns in a key age of transition which includes smaller communities as well as the larger industrialising towns. Among the issues examined are demography, social stratification, manners, religion, gender, dissent, amenities and entertainment, and the resilience of provincial culture in the face of the growing influence of London. At its heart is an authoritative study of urban politics: the structures of authority, the realities of civic administration, and the general movement for reform that climaxed in the Municipal Corporations Act of 1835. Rosemary Sweet |
