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Reviewed by:
  • A Social History of England, 1200–1500
  • Elaine Clark
A Social History of England, 1200–1500. Edited by Rosemary Horrox and W. Mark Ormrod (New York, Cambridge University Press, 2006) 514 pp. $90.00 cloth $39.99 paper

Not only historians but also anthropologists and social scientists will find A Social History of England relevant and engaging. Its editors have [End Page 440] brought together the new work of eighteen historians, all writing with a common aim—to represent the experiences, expectations, and ambitions of medieval people in as broad a manner as the extant evidence allows. Individually and as a group, the contributors reflect a holistic approach to the story of England's past. What results is a vivid narrative about the subtle and complex ways that medieval people—from the thirteenth century until the eve of the Reformation—accommodated change, ordered and re-ordered social relations, clung to old ways of thinking or altered them, created new values, negotiated economic and institutional constraints, and ultimately contributed to broader discussions of religion, nationality, individualism, ritual, civic ceremony, self-identity, and community.

All of these issues have a part in the various sections of A Social History of England. The first two sections draw attention to social attitudes and structures, as well as to old and new debates about the rise and fall of medieval populations. Mindful of competing schools of thought, S. H. Rigby addresses long-term changes in social structure and explores overlapping forms of social inequality. No less perceptively, Peter Coss rethinks questions of personal and political deference in a society acutely conscious of hierarchy. His argument is thought-provoking, as are those of Michael Prestwich on the enterprise of war, and of Simon Walter and Philippa Maddern—discussing law and order and considering the reality and ambiguities of social mobility, respectively.

The essays that follow (in sections 3 and 4) touch on social and economic stratification as well. Richard Britnell surveys the medieval urban economy and notes the growth of autonomy and a commercial ethic, all the while reminding us of the clash of interests endemic to town life. Maryanne Kowaleski amplifies this point by deftly calling attention to competitive consumption and the breakdown of social and cultural hierarchies in the face of new types of consumer culture. Turning to the countryside, Bruce Campbell explains that in the Middle Ages, when agriculture dominated England's economy, institutional and environmental factors informed and animated patterns of agrarian change. His is a persuasive argument. Added detail comes from Mavis Mate and Wendy Childs as they examine the shifting boundaries of work, leisure, and travel.

Completing the picture of England's cultural landscape, the final section of A Social History explores religious belief and then looks at instances of individualism and a developing sense of Englishness. Eamon Duffy takes the lead, persuasively evaluating the myriad ways that Christian belief reflected and influenced social organization and order. Ritual formulations, along with elements of magic and religious or monastic renunciation, frame the essays of Valerie Flint, Janet Burton, and Charles Pythian-Adams. Raising questions about the construction of identity, Miri Rubin's essay is both history and anthropology, and a discussion, as well, of image and ceremonial practice. Equally telling issues are raised by Jeremy (P. J. P.) Goldberg, Robin Frame, and Paul Strohm as they [End Page 441] reflect on the hierarchies of age and gender, medieval sensibilities regarding geography and space, the changing use of English, Latin, and Anglo-Norman, and the influence and place of new literary markets. What becomes evident, in the end, is that change, no matter how complex, could generally be absorbed in the world of medieval England.

Elaine Clark
University of Michigan, Dearborn
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