English Town 1680-1840

An impressively thorough exploration of the changing functions, character and experience of English towns in a key age of transition which includes smaller communities as well as the larger industrialising towns. Among the issues examined are demography, social stratification, manners, religion, gender, dissent, amenities and entertainment, and the resilience of provincial culture in the face of the growing influence of London. At its heart is an authoritative study of urban politics: the structures of authority, the realities of civic administration, and the general movement for reform that climaxed in the Municipal Corporations Act of 1835. Chapter 1 Introduction, Rosemary Sweet; Chapter 2 The Structures of Authority, Rosemary Sweet; Chapter 3 Urban Administration, Rosemary Sweet; Chapter 4 The Divided Society, Rosemary Sweet; Chapter 5 Urban Government and the Movement for Reform, Rosemary Sweet; Chapter 6 Social Structure and Social Experience, Rosemary Sweet; Chapter 7 Urban Culture and the Urban Renaissance, Rosemary Sweet; Chapter 8 Conclusion: Metropolitan Influence or Provincial Identity?, Rosemary Sweet;