Late medieval churchwardens' accounts and parish government : looking beyond London and Bristol

This contribution reviews a number of contested issues in the historiography of the late medieval English parish. In contrast to views expressed by Clive Burgess in a recent article in this journal, it is argued that the reliability of churchwardens’ accounts cannot be judged in a general manner, but depends on the specific questions historians want answered. While offering reliable insights into ordinary financial transactions made by churchwardens on behalf of their parishes, they are utterly inadequate for a histoire totale of local religious life. Closer examination of the function, context and compilation of the records suggests that quantitative analysis is not only possible, but an essential prerequisite for informed discussion of parish regimes. The complexity of local communities and the desirability of comparative perspectives call for a plurality of approaches. Finally, the pivotal role of churchwardens within the varying (religious, political and administrative) configurations of the ‘whole body of the parish’ is reasserted

English local government in the 16th and 17th centuries

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universit

Compassed about with so great a cloud: the witnesses of Scottish episcopal acta before ca 1250

This article is the result of examining the witnesses to some 600 episcopal acta. Despite the unequal incidence of survival from one diocese to another and the difficulty of identifying those men who had no surname, it is possible to draw some conclusions from this type of evidence. Some-thing can be said about the bishops' clerks and chaplains, other members of their households and their relatives. There is evidence of considerable continuity of personnel from one episcopate to the next. Promotion, including movement to another diocese, can be traced, as can the arrival, growth in numbers and careers of magistri. Surnames allow a consider-ation of the origins of witnesses. Some light is thrown on the growth of cathedral chapters, the introduction of bishops' officials, the role of the Céli Dé, and on clerical dynasties, illegitimacy and pluralism. The Scottish Church is seen to be integrated into the wider Western Church

The Surprising Wealth of Pre-industrial England

Occupations listed in wills reveal that as early as 1560 effectively only 60% of the English engaged in farming. Even by 1817, well into the Industrial Revolution, the equivalent primary share, once we count in food and raw material imports, was still 52%. By implication, incomes in pre-industrial England were close to those of 1800. Urbanization rates are not a good guide to pre-industrial income levels. Many rural workers were engaged in manufacturing, services and trade. The occupation shares also imply pre-industrial England was rich enough in 1560 to rank above the bottom fifth of countries in 2007.Long Run Growth England

A study of twenty-five female patients at the Rhode Island Hospital for Mental Diseases who were tried in community job placements

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit

The Surprising Wealth of Pre-industrial England

Occupations listed in wills reveal that as early as 1560 effectively only 60% of the English engaged in farming. Even by 1817, well into the Industrial Revolution, the equivalent primary share, once we count in food and raw material imports, was still 52%. By implication, incomes in pre-industrial England were close to those of 1800. Urbanization rates are not a good guide to pre-industrial income levels. Many rural workers were engaged in manufacturing, services and trade. The occupation shares also imply pre-industrial England was rich enough in 1560 to rank above the bottom fifth of countries in 2007.Growth, England, Pre-industrial

Irregular marriage: myth and reality

This article examines the historiography, the law, and the practice of irregular marriage in Britain. It argues that there has been a confusion of terms in the historiography of irregular marriage that has served to obscure its meaning, pattern, and incidence. Using evidence from Scotland where irregular marriage continued to be legally valid until 1939 (with one form remaining legally valid until 2006), the article argues that despite its legally valid status, the interpretation of what constituted irregular marriage was extremely limited and that it served as a de facto or functional equivalent to civil marriage.<p></p> In the formal legal sense Scotland had stood virtually alone amongst Western European countries in enshrining simple exchange of consent as sufficient basis for marriage. However, in practice Scotland was very similar to other countries in what was regarded as acceptable forms of contracting marriage and the same stigma was attached to informal or irregular unions that we see elsewhere. However, as elsewhere, the majority of people conformed to the legal rules and the legal paradigms of marriage, but equally there was no neat correspondence between legal codes and social practice with ordinary people adopting a more flexible definition of marriage than the official one

\u27Turning Hearts to Break Off the Yoke of Oppression\u27: The Travels and Sufferings of Christopher Meidel, c. 1659-c. 1715

This study of Christopher Meidel, a Norwegian Quaker writer imprisoned both in England and on the Continent for his beliefs and actions, explores the life of a convert to Quakerism and his missionary zeal in the early eighteenth century. From Meidel\u27s quite tempestuous career we receive insights into the issues Friends faced in Augustan England in adapting to life in a country whose inter-church relations were largely governed by the 1689 Toleration Act, and its insistence that recipients of toleration were to respect the rights of other religionists. In England and Wales, although not censured by Friends, Meidel\u27s activities were nevertheless in contrast to the increasingly respectable nature of the Society. This study questions whether his provocative behaviour was a return to the testimony of the first Friends. On the Continent, Meidel was warmly welcomed in some towns and cities, but also seen in others as a potential troublemaker and consequently imprisoned. Only the intervention ofleading Friends and of Prince George ofDenmark saved him from a lengthy term of incarceration. Undaunted by his trials, Meidel continued his proselytising in the early eighteenth century, and his career offers a fascinating insight into the continuing determination of missionary Quakers and their commitment to their beliefs

A Letter to Members of the United States Congress from Church Leaders, Non-Governmental Organizations, Citizen Groups, and Academics Regarding the Human Rights Crisis in the Philippines

This document is part of a digital collection provided by the Martin P. Catherwood Library, ILR School, Cornell University, pertaining to the effects of globalization on the workplace worldwide. Special emphasis is placed on labor rights, working conditions, labor market changes, and union organizing.ILRF_Letter_to_US_Congress_from_Ecumenical_Advocacy_Network.pdf: 438 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020