The Experience of Work in Early Modern England

Jane Whittle (University of Exeter), Mark Hailwood (University of Bristol), Hannah Robb (Birkbeck, University of London) , Taylor Aucoin (University of Edinburgh)

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English

Cambridge University Press
09 October 2025

Early modern history: c 1450 to c 1700; Social & cultural history; Gender studies: women; Sociology: work & labour; Economic history

Series: Cambridge Studies in Economic History - Second Series

This book applies the innovative work-task approach to the history of work, which captures the contribution of all workers and types of work to the early modern economy. Drawing on tens of thousands of court depositions, the authors analyse the individual tasks that made up everyday work for women and men, shedding new light on the gender division of labour, and the ways in which time, space, age and marital status shaped sixteenth and seventeenth-century working life. Combining qualitative and quantitative analysis, the book deepens our understanding of the preindustrial economy, and calls for us to rethink not only who did what, but also the implications of these findings for major debates about structural change, the nature and extent of paid work, and what has been lost as well as gained over the past three centuries of economic development. This title is also available as open access on Cambridge Core.

By: Jane Whittle (University of Exeter), Mark Hailwood (University of Bristol), Hannah Robb (Birkbeck, University of London), Taylor Aucoin (University of Edinburgh)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Weight: 721g
ISBN: 9781316519943
ISBN 10: 1316519945
Series: Cambridge Studies in Economic History - Second Series
Pages: 345
Publication Date: 09 October 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Introduction; 1. Uncovering the world of work; 2. Working people; 3. Places of work; 4. Rhythms of work; 5. Housework and carework; 6. Agriculture and food production; 7. Crafts and construction; 8. Commerce and money management; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.

Jane Whittle is Professor of Economic and Social History at the University of Exeter and her publications include The Development of Agrarian Capitalism and Consumption and Gender in the Early Seventeenth-Century Household. Mark Hailwood is Senior Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Bristol and author of Alehouses and Good Fellowship in Early Modern England, as well as a number of articles on everyday life in the period. Hannah Robb is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Birkbeck, University of London and has published in leading journals on micro credit and debt litigation.

Reviews for The Experience of Work in Early Modern England

'The Experience of Work in Early Modern England breaks new ground, offering entirely new insights into how the early modern English economy actually functioned and what the roles of women and men were in this economy. I have read it with the greatest interest and pleasure.' Maria Ågren, Uppsala University 'The Experience of Work in Early Modern England uses an extensive database of witness statements to open up a new world of what work was actually done in early modern England, and which decisively shows how important women and children's work was within the market economy.' Craig Muldrew, Queen's College, Cambridge 'This brilliant reconstruction transforms our picture of the early modern economy, offering a holistic account of the world of work that at last moves beyond the distortions of occupational descriptors and wage data to show that no assessment of economic change can ever again be based on men's work alone.' Alexandra Shepard, University of Glasgow