Women and Urban Life in Eighteenth-Century England: 'On the Town' (review)

Sweet and Lane have edited a gem of a book. As they point out in an incisive and up- to-the-minute introduction, some recent scholarship on the urban history of Britain, such as the three-volume Cambridge Urban History of Britain (Cambridge University Press, 2000, edited by Peter Clark) deals awkwardly with women. Yet almost every document that gives us a glimpse of town life, points to the central role that women played in trade and cultural life. In an age of urban expansion, towns and cities were the dynamos of eighteenth-century experience. This book provides eight excellent essays considering the role of women in different facets of town life.

Rosemary Sweet herself, an expert on antiquaries and contemporary representations of town life, starts off with a thoroughgoing discussion of aspects of female citizenship and local politics. In the following chapter, Elaine Chalus provides a perceptive treatment of the Oxford Rag Plot of 1754. Sylvia Pinches looks at women as both agents for, and recipients of, charity in eighteenth-century Birmingham.

The middle chapters of the book examine the place of women as both producers and consumers. Christine Wiskin and (in a separate chapter) Hannah Barker and Karen Harvey explore the world of businesswomen. Helen Berry unpacks the consumer habits of Judith Baker, a Durham gentlewoman. Denise Fowler's chapter links nonconformity with the development of women writers. Finally David Shuttleton analyzes Mary Chandler's Description of Bath (1733).

We end the book having had a passing acquaintance with numerous energetic women of their time. Their efforts underlay the sort of vibrant town culture and urban expansion that demographers and urban historians have been at pains to chronicle. Uncovering their stories gives us ample material to further penetrate and understand the structure of life in these busy communities. My only criticism is in the formation of the title (perhaps a publisher's preference?) where 'On the Town' appears as a strange subtitle (probably the choice of the editors?). I am worried that some quite fascinating books are being rendered boring by deadpan, factual titles because, in this case, I am far more likely to remember 'On the Town' than the actual title of the book. Titles should do justice to the editorial and authorial contents within the books – and in this case, the impressive efforts of generations of townswomen.