Migration and Society in Britain: 1550-1830 (Social History in Perspective)

Until the 1960s it was widely believed that people in pre-industrial Britain was born, lived their lives, and died within the confines of small, tight-knit communities which had only limited contacts with the outside world through migration. In the last 30 years or so, research by historians and historical geographers has shown that from the late Middle Ages to the Industrial Revolution mobility was not only normal, but was a key element in social and economic change. This book surveys recent research on migration in Early-Modern Britain, considering the nature of population movements, the problems of reconstructing them from historical sources, and their contribution to contemporary life.