CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title 2017
The first social and cultural history of vagrancy between 1650 and 1750, this book combines sources from across England and the Atlantic world to describe the shifting and desperate experiences of the very poorest and most marginalized of people in early modernity; the outcasts, the wandering destitute, the disabled veteran, the aged labourer, the solitary pregnant woman on the road and those referred to as vagabonds and beggars are all explored in this comprehensive account of the subject. Using a rich array of archival and literary sources, Vagrancy in English Culture and Society, 1650-1750 offers a history not only of the experiences of vagrants themselves, but also of how the settled 'better sort' perceived vagrancy, how it was culturally represented in both popular and elite literature as a shadowy underworld of dissembling rogues, gypsies, and pedlars, and how these representations powerfully affected the lives of vagrants themselves.
Hitchcock's is an important study for all scholars and students interested in the social and cultural history of early modern England.

eBook - PDF
Vagrancy in English Culture and Society, 1650-1750
- 252 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF
Vagrancy in English Culture and Society, 1650-1750
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Table of contents
- Cover
- Half-title
- Title
- Copyright
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- List of Tables
- Acknowledgements
- List of Abbreviations
- Introduction: Sticks, Stones, Broken Bones
- 1. The Assumption of Idleness
- 2. Rogue Ballads
- 3. Hidden Histories: Vagrancy, Migration, and Crisis in Local England, 1650–1750
- 4. Masterless Women: The Female Vagrant in English Culture and Society, 1650–1750
- Conclusion: ‘But Words Will Never Hurt Me’
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
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Yes, you can access Vagrancy in English Culture and Society, 1650-1750 by David Hitchcock, Beat Kümin, Brian Cowan, Beat Kümin,Brian Cowan in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & British History. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.