Family, Sex and Marriage in England 1500-1800

by Lawrence Stone

Studies the evolution of English attitudes regarding marriage and sexuality in relation to the accompanying social, political, religious, and economic trends

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Family, Marriage, British Literature, Sexuality, School

464 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Lawrence Stone was an English historian of early modern Britain. He is noted for his work on the English Civil War and marriage. Stone was a major advocate of using the methods of the social sciences to study history.

Reviews

[Johanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmm I think the issue with Stone is he has been somewhat left behind as his pet theories have been reviewed and largely discarded. So it is with this book, there is good interesting information in here but you have to pick through the 1970's theories.

[C. B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved and hated this book. That combination is a rarity for me. The book is so idiosyncratic and well researched that it’s hard not to admire it. It helped to develop the family as a serious subject of historical study. Yet Stone is unbearably arrogant, truly believing that the bizarre mix of social anthropology and psychology that pervaded 1970s academia had the power to explain thought and feeling across the centuries. Forget the early modern period: this book says so much about the sense of sexual modernity at the time it was written. Stone is also determined to paint a miserable picture of the period, full of emotional coldness and revolting, brief sexual encounters. I hardly think the evidence exists to counteract Stone on every point, but I’m ill predisposed to the idea that there was ever such a society. In any case, a must-read book for students of the period and the history of the family.

[Diane Briones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This densely written and lengthy book is sometimes difficult reading, but more than worth the effort! It is an excellent source of information for genealogists trying to understand the motivation of ancestors whose actions seem incomprehensible today. By providing detailed analysis of family relationships from 1500 to 1800 in England, Mr. Stone has given us all an insight into thought processes and values that are very different from our own. The book would be equally valuable for anyone trying to understand the everyday lives of people in another time, to historians, to authors doing research for historical novels or plays, or simply to anyone who wants to take the equivalent of a "ride in a time machine". This is an outstanding book and I highly recommend it, though not for light reading! --- Diane ™

[Michelle Llewellyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm giving this two stars because I didn't care for the anti-family, anti-marriage tone. The author paints a dismal picture of family life in Elizabethian England, making it seem very much like today, except getting married BEFORE having kids was still the majority in every socio-economic bracket. Even if parents didn't want the kids, not wanting to get too close in case of death, most parents still did their duty in making sure the child was educated, indoctrinated with religion, and if they lived past adolescence, got married.
A single woman who lived to adulthood without opportunity for marriage still depended on her parents charity or became a governess. Back then, it was the community who made sure the father paid some form of child support to the mother of the bastard child. How interesting that death, not divorce, was the main purpose of getting remarried back in those days. I couldn't help but compare all of these facts to today's 21st century lifestyle-a completely different life script.
This title was recommened in a university textbook Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory by Peter Barry. So, that's how I was led to find this at the library. It's an interesting read but with all the child abuse and neglect, promiscuousness, sex trafficking, slavery and wife beating we hear about today, I sure hope it wasn't as common 500 years ago as this author kept making it out to be.

[Mary McMyne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This came recommended to me (with qualifications) for my current writing project, and I’ll admit it was full of lots of interesting and relevant data. Nevertheless, I was a little shocked by the level of sexism in the analysis, even though I probably shouldn’t have been, considering the 1970s publication date.

[Jenny Housley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating read on the western family.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the history of "...the rise in the West of the individualistic, nuclear, child-oriented family which is the sole outlet of both sexual and affective bonding..." At a high level the three centuries cover three acts:

I) Formal and legal religious oversight of homelife including the invasive control of interregnum Puritan authoritarianism during which there occurred near dehumanization of women, complex marriage laws, and unattended, swaddled children.

II) A world turned upside down and a harsh, Hobbesian reality of each out for themselves and looking to get over the other.

III) The rise in the 17th Century of an "affective individualism" recognizable as modern with "the rising demand for autonomy, which found practical expression in growing resistance to attempts to put extreme pressure on the individual’s body and soul."

This story is told from many primary sources: novels, stageplays, memoirs, vital statistics, graveyard inscriptions, and more.

[Katheryn Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm glad I read this one, as it's a classic in the field, and provides a nice foundation for thinking further about different aspects. However, its scope is huge and, as such, it has to rely on a lot of generalisations (which, to be fair, Stone does acknowledge). More importantly, it is now noticeably outdated; there were several comments, especially to psychology, which genuinely made me cringe. So three stars it is.

[Mary Vilarino · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting book to read, though written in the seventies one wonders if this author’s hypothesis remains unchanged or even challenged. The last two chapters were superfluous in my opinion as they were very repetitive of the whole book. I also felt that the author had a low opinion of women from certain historical periods which I found quite annoying.

[Viki · Rating 3 out of 5]

School reading...

Still, not that bad....

[Huseyin Karamelikli · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book has a very comprehensive and explanatory content. It is very difficult to take notes from this book because every paragraph has content that needs to be noted.

[Leah Perlman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although this is a solid effort, it is way too thesis driven, causing Stone to entirely misread or ignore evidence that is contrary to his assumed thesis.

[lea ౨ৎ]

unfortunately I've read things I never wanted to read in my life.

[Laura Perez eslava · Rating 5 out of 5]

La consciencia del escritor en cuanto a su alcance y metodología para mi lo hacen un excelente libro, ya que delimita muy bien su objeto de estudio y el resultado es justamente lo que Stone buscaba: listar y analizar las características de la clase baja de la aristocracia y alta de la burguesía durante un periodo de 300 años. Resultando un texto bastante esclarecedor porque reconocemos muchas de nuestras costumbres e idiosincrasia en torno a estos tres temas en ese proceso de cambio vivido en los tres siglos de los que trata el libro.
El valor del libro radica en el análisis de fuentes que permiten discernir las causas que fueron poco a poco llevando a las familia a sufrir cambios drásticos en cuanto a sus valores, forma de relacionarse y objetivos al relacionarse, explicando de esta forma el porqué de las cosas como las vivimos hoy, en términos generales.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great eye opener on the subject of family, sex and marriage in England from 1500-1800. It tended to read a bit like a textbook or technical manual and the author kept repeating certain conclusions a little too often. I had to reread some sentences a few times to understand what the author was trying to get at. The last chapter focused on the diaries of two men (one from the late 1600's, the other 100 years later from the late 1700's) and their sexual exploits. Since I was reading this book at work on my lunch breaks it felt like I was getting away with reading pornography. (Which I kind of was). LOL

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a lot more fun to read than I was originally anticipating. The author makes this book readable because he has a sense of irony that kind of propels the reader on. A very informative book for anyone wanting to know about the social habits of early England. Some of the information is rather shocking, such as the treatment of infants and children, which we would find cruel (and certainly unusual) today. The only thing I can fault the author for is referencing Freud more often than strictly necessary. A new addition would be welcomed.

[Chandrashekar Gangaraju · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this informative book.There were some very interesting facts from british history. The author does well in justifying his position whilst mentioning other theories. He goes to some length at descibing certain individuals which makes the book more readable. I wish there were more illustrations and that it was referenced with numbers like most books are.

[mirole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been reading this book off and on for several months. It was an interesting and very informative read about the development of the family in England in that period. Although a bit dry at times, I enjoyed it especially multiple examples from the real life by way of excerpts from letters and diaries.

[Helen]

In the 17th century Samuel Pepys kept a meticulous diary of his sexual exploits...and sufferings from syphilis. OMG!!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating look at family life in England over a 300 year period.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great social history of early modern England, detailing the reality of life - sex, marriage and family. Grim at times, but always lively, it brings home a time of enormous change in society.

[Cherish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read, especially to examine the differences in perspective, between then and now, considering the roles of marriage and romance. Highly educational.

[Kristin Sinclair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely informative. Highly recommended.

[Chanie]

I don't know how accurate he is, but it made for an interesting read. Who would have thought?

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

Blech no thanks

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining read about family relations in 16th-18th century England.