Rethinking the Family in Early Modern Britain

Revisiting the history of the family in early modern Britain, this volume includes the viewpoints of previously marginalised historical subjects. Chapters examine the experiences of disabled people, queer families, migrants, religious nonconformists and people of diverse heritage, as well as the impact of war, empire and environmental change.

This new volume presents a more inclusive idea of the family in early modern Britain, foregrounding innovative approaches that have reframed the subject in the past twenty years. With contributions from a new generation of scholars working in collaboration with leading historians, chapters explore previously marginalised or neglected historical subjects. These include the experiences of disabled people, queer families, migrants, religious nonconformists and people of diverse heritage. The pressing concerns of war and empire are discussed, while race and ethnicity are also reconsidered in relation to intersectional dynamics of family membership and experience. Contributors rethink histories of children and religion, apprenticeship and parenting, as well as reflect on recent developments in history, including family emotion and the relationship between the family and environmental change. In early modern Britain, families were embodied and characterised by care, belonging and emotional connection, but also by exclusion and neglect. While some families might embrace change, others acted to conceal secrets or fractured under the strain of disruption.