The English People On The Eve Of Colonization

by Wallace Notestein

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

Genres: History, American History, Nonfiction

334 pages, Paperback

First published August 26, 2011

Reviews

[Lisa]

Delightful survey. Historians just don’t write like this anymore. Great summary of social and economic situation and roles of officers of the state in early 17th century England

[Stephen]

If there was ever an exemplar for not judging a book by its cover, The English People on the Eve of Colonization is it. The binding is plain and burdened by an unwieldy title that seems to threaten readers with clouds of dust and pages of population statistics upon opening. Instead, Wallace Notestein delivers a lively social history that opens the hood (or bonnet, if you prefer, since we’re looking at the English) of Stuart England, revealing the social machinery at work inside. Here are the daily lives of men both great and small – the details of their work, their concerns – and an examination of the institutions which create and sustain civilization Notestein’s chatty survey gives life to farm laborers, country gentlemen, sheriffs and justices of the peace; he also takes us to the Inns of Court and the universities, the very marrow of intellectual life. Although there are brief chapters on Parliament and the corporations that would lead the way in exploring the globe and settling the new world, the emphasis here is on the small and ordinary, and delivered in so personable a fashion that one is immersed in the life of centuries gone by without realizing he’s being educated. Religion isn't addressed directly, beyond the life of the church as a community, which is the only hiccup.

Related:

Daily Life in Early America, David Freeman Hawke
http://thisweekatthelibrary.blogspot....

The Americans: The Colonial Experience, Daniel Boorstin
http://thisweekatthelibrary.blogspot....

Any social history of the Gies, but especially Life in a Medieval Village, Marriage and Family in the Middle Ages, and Life in a Medieval City.
http://thisweekatthelibrary.blogspot....

[Mommalibrarian]

Interesting overview for non-historian. Slices the subject matter differently than most history books I have read. Some of the chapters are: the nobles, the country gentlemen, the clergy, the yeomen and the farm laboreres, the Inss of court and the lawyeres, the physicians, the businessmen, the schools, the universities, two on Puritanism, the Kingship and the Privy Council, Parliament, the sheriffs, the justices of the peace, the constables, the churchwardens and the parish.

The bibliography states that the book was heavily based on "original papers in the Public Record Office" as well as "periodicals of the many local societies, known as the Archaeological and Natural History or Record Society of this or that shire." There is an extensive bibliography of professional publications.

The book gave me insight into the fallout from the loss of the formal institutions and tax structures associated with the Catholic Church, the development of new educational institutions to replace those lost, the balancing act among all the various extremes presented by the Protestant reformation, the growth of local political will power and institutions, the progressive strengthing of Parliament.

As a result of reading this book I want to know more so I consider it a success even though it is writing in a difficult style. The author sometimes appears to present a very shallow case: something like I read these letters and jump to this grand conclusion. Still it is a good starting point to understand what the people that colonized America thought and where they got their ideals of organzation.

[Richard Copeland]

Despite a dated style and a rather casual structure, the book is a comprehensive social history of the period from 1603-1630. In the first pages there is a tone of 'English exceptionalism' which was a turn-off, but once the author got past that and began to delve into the details of the daily life of the times, I enjoyed the insights he provided. Informative and occasionally fascinating, the book has an extensive bibliography which would certainly be of value to historical scholars. Good index too. Originally published in 1954.

[Beverly]

The title tells you what you're going to get -- a picture of what life in England was like in Tudor and Stuart times. Clears up a lot for American readers about how the English government and judiciary worked in those times.

[Marfy]

A great reference work for understanding how colonial practices had English roots. Notestein is a very good writer, and has some surprising insights.