Transforming English Rural Society: The Verneys and the Claydons, 1600–1820 (Cambridge Studies in Population, Economy and Society in Past Time, Series Number 40)

Between 1540 and 1920 the English elite transformed the countryside and landscape by building up landed estates which were concentrated around their country houses. John Broad's study of the Verney family of Middle Claydon in Buckinghamshire demonstrates two sides of that process. Charting the family's rise to wealth impelled by a strong dynastic imperative, Broad shows how the Verneys sought out heiress marriages to expand wealth and income. In parallel, he shows how the family managed its estates to maximize income and transformed three local village communities, creating a pattern of 'open' and 'closed' villages familiar to nineteenth-century commentators. Based on the formidable Verney family archive with its abundant correspondence, this book also examines the world of poor relief, farming families as well as strategies for estate expansion and social enhancement. It will appeal to anyone interested in the English countryside as a dynamic force in social and economic history. Half-title......Page 2 Series-title......Page 4 Title......Page 6 Copyright......Page 7 Contents......Page 8 List of figures......Page 10 List of tables......Page 11 Preface......Page 12 Acknowledgements......Page 14 Note on editorial practice......Page 15 Abbreviations......Page 16 1 Introduction......Page 18 Part I Re-establishing a gentry family 1600–1657......Page 30 2 A gentry family in county and court society 1603–1642......Page 32 3 The Civil War and Interregnum 1642–1657......Page 44 4 The creation of an enclosed estate 1600–1657......Page 65 Part II The shaping of family and village 1657–1740......Page 98 5 Land, business, and dynastic advance 1657–1736......Page 100 6 The making of a modern landed estate......Page 129 7 Power in the community – the making of an estate village 1660–1740......Page 166 Part III The great estate and estate communities c. 1700–1820......Page 214 8 The rise and fall of Verney fortunes in the eighteenth century 1740–1820......Page 216 9 Transforming the Claydons in the eighteenth century......Page 245 10 Conclusion......Page 281 Appendix A Sir Ralph Verney’s confessional letter of 1650......Page 292 Appendix B The genealogy of the Verney family......Page 294 SECONDARY SOURCES......Page 297 Index......Page 307 ISBN-13: 9780521829335 Half-title 2 Series-title 4 Title 6 Copyright 7 Contents 8 List of figures 10 List of tables 11 Preface 12 Acknowledgements 14 Note on editorial practice 15 Abbreviations 16 1 Introduction 18 Part I Re-establishing a gentry family 1600–1657 30 2 A gentry family in county and court society 1603–1642 32 3 The Civil War and Interregnum 1642–1657 44 4 The creation of an enclosed estate 1600–1657 65 Part II The shaping of family and village 1657–1740 98 5 Land, business, and dynastic advance 1657–1736 100 6 The making of a modern landed estate 129 7 Power in the community – the making of an estate village 1660–1740 166 Part III The great estate and estate communities c. 1700–1820 214 8 The rise and fall of Verney fortunes in the eighteenth century 1740–1820 216 9 Transforming the Claydons in the eighteenth century 245 10 Conclusion 281 Appendix A Sir Ralph Verney’s confessional letter of 1650 292 Appendix B The genealogy of the Verney family 294 Bibliography 297 PRINCIPAL PRIMARY SOURCES 297 SECONDARY SOURCES 297 Index 307 Between 1540 and 1920 the English elite transformed the countryside and landscape by building up landed estates which were concentrated around their country houses. John Broad's study of the Verney family of Middle Claydon in Buckinghamshire demonstrates two sides of that process. Charting the family's rise to wealth impelled by a strong dynastic imperative, Broad shows how the Verneys sought out heiress marriages to expand wealth and income. In parallel, he shows how the family managed its estates to maximise income and transformed three local village communities, creating a pattern of 'open' and 'closed' villages familiar to nineteenth-century commentators. Based on the formidable Verney family archive with its abundant correspondence, this book also examines the world of poor relief, farming families as well as strategies for estate expansion and social enhancement. It will appeal to anyone interested in the English countryside as a dynamic force in social and economic history John Broad explores the rise and fall of the Verney family of Middle Claydon, Buckinghamshire, demonstrating the family's rise to wealth as motivated by a strong dynastic imperative. He reveals how the family managed its estates to maximize income and used its wealth to transform the Claydon villages and landscape, creating a pattern of ''open'' and ''closed'' parishes. Based on the formidable Verney family archive with its abundant correspondence, this book will appeal to anyone interested in the English countryside as a dynamic force in English social, economic and demographic history. John Broad explores the rise and fall of the Verney family of Middle Claydon, Buckinghamshire. He shows how the family were impelled by a strong dynastic imperative, how they managed their estates to maximize income and transformed three local villages into 'open' and 'closed' parishes. John Broad explores the rise and fall of the Verney family of Middle Claydon, Buckinghamshire. He shows how the family were impelled by a strong dynastic imperative, how they managed their estates to maximise income and transformed three local villages into 'open' and 'closed' parishes This book is an extended case study of a family and its estates in midland England. John Broad. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 280-289) And Index.