Men, Women and Property in England, 1780-1870：A Social and Economic History of Family Strategies amongst the Leeds Middle Class

Thisisaninnovativestudyofmiddle-classbehaviourandpropertyrelationsinEnglishtownsinGeorgianandVictorianBritain.Throughthelensofwills,familypapers,propertydeeds,accountbooksandletters,theauthoroffersareadingofthewaysinwhichmiddle-classfamiliessurvivedandsurmountedtheeconomicdifficultiesofearlyindustrialsociety.Hearguesthatthesewereessentially'networked'familiescreatedandaffirmedbya'gift'networkofmaterialgoods,finance,servicesandsupport,withpropertyverymuchatthecentreofmiddle-classsurvivalstrategies.Hisapproachcombinesmicrohistoricalstudiesofindividualfamilieswithabroaderanalysisofthenationalandeveninternationalnetworkswithinwhichthesefamiliesoperated.Theresultisasignificantcontributiontothehistory,andtodebatesabouttheplaceofstructuralandculturalanalysisinhistoricalunderstanding.