Women in Early Modern England 1550-1720

What was life like for women who lived in Tudor and Stuart England? This fascinating book provides a colourful and comprehensive account of the daily experiences of these women, using first-hand sources such as diaries, letters, and household accounts. The authors investigate the varying expectations and opportunities that existed at different stages of women's lives, and examine a range of different themes: the role of female friendships and networks of support or censure; the effects of prevailing gender stereotypes; the diverse roles of women in the religious and political movements of the times. The book focuses on the preoccupations of ordinary women, comparing the makeshift economy of the poorest with the ambitions and activities of those from wealthier backgrounds. Their views on the world -- the outlook of that half of the population usually hidden from the historical record -- open up a valuable new perspective on the history of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century England.