The Character of English Rural Society Earls Colne, 1550-1750

This is a major study of the transformation of early modern English rural society. It begins by assessing the three major debates about the character of English society: the 'Brenner Debate'; the debate over English Individualism; and the long running debate over the disappearance of the small landowner. It then turns to the history of Earls Colne in Essex, which has never before been the subject of a full-length study despite it being one of the most discussed villages in England. It is a key work for all those interested in how English rural society changed between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries.

Henry French is Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Exeter. Richard Hoyle is Professor of Rural History at the University of Reading and a British Academy Research Reader in 2004–6.