Exclusion Crises: Poverty, Migration and Parochial Responsibility in English Rural Communities, c. 1560–1660

Abstract

‘Community’ is ubiquitous in the historiography of early modern England. Although the term is almost universally employed and appealed to, however, its meaning remains controversial, and its use by historians much criticised. Part of the difficulty lies in the fact that the very concept of ‘community’ is not the creation of modern social scientists: its origins lie in traditional notions of communitas, that quality of oneness claimed by mediaeval associations of various kinds. Consequently, modern historians and sociologists tend to agree only on two issues: first, that ‘community’ implies geographical propinquity, common ties, and focused interaction between and amongst its members; and second, that these characteristics have generally undergone a historical process of decline or disintegration. Rather vaguely-defined as this common ground is, it is sufficiently clear to render modern users of the term vulnerable in turn to two criticisms in particular. It is argued, first, that the mythic status of community begs both historical and sociological questions, relying merely on untested assumptions; and, second, that the strongly emotive overtones and inherent value judgements of such a nostalgic term introduce confusing elements of normative prescription to social-historical analysis. From this perspective, community is not only an elusive concept but also a flawed ideal, and calls for its abandonment have increased.

Tradition and Exclusion: Parochial Officeholding in Early Modern England, A Case Study from North Norfolk, 1580–1640

“…35 This was not the case in Binham, Wighton, Warham All Saints and Warham St. Mary. The office of overseer is commonly viewed as the exclusive preserve of the wealthier parishioners, their domination being one aspect of the process by which the 'village elites, took financial and political responsibility for the communities which they represented'.…”

“…The office of overseer is commonly viewed as the exclusive preserve of the wealthier parishioners, their domination being one aspect of the process by which the 'village elites, took financial and political responsibility for the communities which they represented'. 35 This was not the case in Binham, Wighton, Warham All Saints and Warham St. Mary. In these parishes participation extended well down the socio-economic structure and husbandmen and craftsmen who held no more than a few acres were frequently called upon to hold the most prestigious offices.…”

Book Reviews

“…We need to interrogate this polysemic term if we are to move beyond generalisations about ideals of solidarity and neighbourliness. Steve Hindle has described the way that early modern notions of community could imply exclusion as well as inclusion (Hindle 1996). In his exploration of parish and belonging, K.D.M.…”