Houses and Society in Norwich, 1350-1660 : Urban Buildings in an Age of Transition

Norwich was second only to London in size and economic significance from the late Middle Ages through to the mid-seventeenth century. This book brings together, for the first time, the rich archaeological evidence for urban households and domestic life in Norwich, using surviving buildings, excavated sites, and material culture. It offers a broad overview of the changing forms, construction and spatial organisation of urban houses during the period, ranging across the social spectrum from the large courtyard mansions occupied by members of the mercantile and civic elite, to the homes of the urban "middling sort" and the small two- and three-roomed cottages of the city's weavers and artisans. 0The so-called "age of transition" witnessed profound social and economic changes and religious and political upheavals, which Norwich, as a major provincial capital, experienced with particular force and intensity; domestic life was also transformed. The author examines the twin themes of continuity and change in the material world and the role of the domestic sphere in the expression and negotiation of shifting power relationships, economic structures and social identities in the medieval and early modern city. First full archaeological study of the urban environment of Norwich when its power was at its height.Norwich was second only to London in size and economic significance from the late Middle Ages through to the mid-seventeenth century. This book brings together, for the first time, the rich archaeological evidence for urban households and domestic life in Norwich, using surviving buildings, excavated sites, and material culture. It offers a broad overview of the changing forms, construction and spatial organisation of urban houses during the period, ranging across the social spectrum from the large courtyard mansions occupied by members of the mercantile and civic elite, to the homes of the urban'middling sort'and the small two- and three-roomed cottages of the city's weavers andartisans. The so-called'age of transition'witnessed profound social and economic changes and religious and political upheavals, which Norwich, as a major provincial capital, experienced with particular force and intensity; domestic life was also transformed. The author examines the twin themes of continuity and change in the material world and the role of the domestic sphere in the expression and negotiation of shifting power relationships, economic structures and social identities in the medieval and early modern city. CHRIS KING is Assistant Professor of Archaeology at the University of Nottingham. First full archaeological study of the urban environment of Norwich when its power was at its height. Norwich was second only to London in size and economic significance from the late Middle Ages through to the mid-seventeenth century. This book brings together, for the first time, the rich archaeological evidence for urban households and domestic life in Norwich, using surviving buildings, excavated sites, and material culture. It offers a broad overview of the changing forms, construction and spatial organisation of urban houses during the period, ranging across the social spectrum from the large courtyard mansions occupied by members of the mercantile and civic elite, to the homes of the urban "middling sort" and the small two- and three-roomed cottages of the city's weavers andartisans. The so-called "age of transition" witnessed profound social and economic changes and religious and political upheavals, which Norwich, as a major provincial capital, experienced with particular force and intensity; domestic life was also transformed. The author examines the twin themes of continuity and change in the material world and the role of the domestic sphere in the expression and negotiation of shifting power relationships, economic structures and social identities in the medieval and early modern city. Norwich was second only to London in size and economic significance from the late Middle Ages through to the mid-seventeenth century. This book brings together, for the first time, the rich archaeological evidence for urban households and domestic life in Norwich, using surviving buildings, excavated sites, and material culture. It offers a broad overview of the changing forms, construction and spatial organisation of urban houses during the period, ranging across the social spectrum from the large courtyard mansions occupied by members of the mercantile and civic elite, to the homes of the urban "middling sort" and the small two- and three-roomed cottages of the city's weavers andartisans.
The so-called "age of transition" witnessed profound social and economic changes and religious and political upheavals, which Norwich, as a major provincial capital, experienced with particular force and intensity; domestic life was also transformed. The author examines the twin themes of continuity and change in the material world and the role of the domestic sphere in the expression and negotiation of shifting power relationships, economic structures and social identities in the medieval and early modern city.

CHRIS KING is Assistant Professor of Archaeology at the University of Nottingham. Norwich fue la segunda ciudad en tamaño e importancia económica después de Londres desde finales de la Edad Media hasta mediados del siglo XVII. Este libro reúne, por primera vez, las ricas evidencias arqueológicas de los hogares urbanos y la vida doméstica en Norwich, utilizando edificios supervivientes, yacimientos excavados y cultura material. Ofrece una amplia visión de los cambios en las formas, la construcción y la organización espacial de las casas urbanas durante el período, que abarca todo el espectro social, desde las grandes mansiones con patio ocupadas por los miembros de la élite mercantil y cívica, hasta los hogares de la "clase media" urbana y las pequeñas cabañas de dos y tres habitaciones de los tejedores y artesanos de la ciudad. 0La llamada "época de transición" fue testigo de profundos cambios sociales y económicos, así como de convulsiones religiosas y políticas, que Norwich, como gran capital de provincia, experimentó con especial fuerza e intensidad; la vida doméstica también se transformó. La autora examina el doble tema de la continuidad y el cambio en el mundo material y el papel de la esfera doméstica en la expresión y negociación de las cambiantes relaciones de poder, las estructuras económicas y las identidades sociales en la ciudad medieval y moderna temprana