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Houses and Society in Norwich, 1350-1660
Urban Buildings in an Age of Transition
by Chris King

First full archaeological study of the urban environment of Norwich when its power was at its height.

Norwich was second only to London in size and economic significance from the late Middle Ages through to the mid-17th century. This book brings together, for the first time, the rich archaeological evidence for urban households and domestic life in Norwich, using surviving buildings, excavated sites, and material culture.

It offers a broad overview of the changing forms, construction and spatial organisation of urban houses during the period, ranging across the social spectrum from the large courtyard mansions occupied by members of the mercantile and civic elite, to the homes of the urban "middling sort" and the small 2- and 3-roomed cottages of the city's weavers and artisans.

The so-called "age of transition" witnessed profound social and economic changes and religious and political upheavals, which Norwich, as a major provincial capital, experienced with particular force and intensity; domestic life was also transformed.

The author examines the twin themes of continuity and change in the material world and the role of the domestic sphere in the expression and negotiation of shifting power relationships, economic structures and social identities in the medieval and early modern city.

Hardcover
9781783275540
October 2020
$75.00 / £50.00

Ebook (EPDF)
9781787449329
October 2020
$24.95 / £19.99

330 Pages
12 colour, 80 b/w, 23 line illus.
Boydell Press