Mark Rothery – författare

This study explores the consumption practices of the landed aristocracy of Georgian England. Focussing on three families and drawing on detailed analysis of account books, receipted bills, household inventories, diaries and correspondence, Consumption and the Country House charts the spending patterns of this elite group during the so-called consumer revolution of the eighteenth century. Generally examined through the lens of middling families, homes andmotivations, this book explores the ways in which the aristocracy were engaged in this wider transformation of English society. Analysis centres on the goods that the aristocracy purchased, both luxurious and mundane; the extent to which they pursued fashionable modes and goods; the role that family and friendsplayed in shaping notions of taste; the influence of gender on taste and refinement; the geographical reach of provisioning and the networks that lay behind this consumer activity, and the way this all contributed to the construction of the country house. The country house thus emerges as much more than a repository of luxury and splendour; it lay at the heart of complex networks of exchange, sociability, demand, and supply. Exploring these processes and relationships serves to reanimate thecountry house, making it an active site of consumption rather than simply an expression of power and taste, and drawing it into the mainstream of consumption histories. At the same time, the landed aristocracy are shown to be rounded consumers, driven by values of thrift and restraint as much asextravagant desires, and valuing the old as well as the new, not least as markers of their pedigree and heritance.

This study explores the consumption practices of the landed aristocracy of Georgian England. Focussing on three families and drawing on detailed analysis of account books, receipted bills, household inventories, diaries and correspondence, Consumption and the Country House charts the spending patterns of this elite group during the so-called consumer revolution of the eighteenth century. Generally examined through the lens of middling families, homes andmotivations, this book explores the ways in which the aristocracy were engaged in this wider transformation of English society. Analysis centres on the goods that the aristocracy purchased, both luxurious and mundane; the extent to which they pursued fashionable modes and goods; the role that family and friendsplayed in shaping notions of taste; the influence of gender on taste and refinement; the geographical reach of provisioning and the networks that lay behind this consumer activity, and the way this all contributed to the construction of the country house. The country house thus emerges as much more than a repository of luxury and splendour; it lay at the heart of complex networks of exchange, sociability, demand, and supply. Exploring these processes and relationships serves to reanimate thecountry house, making it an active site of consumption rather than simply an expression of power and taste, and drawing it into the mainstream of consumption histories. At the same time, the landed aristocracy are shown to be rounded consumers, driven by values of thrift and restraint as much asextravagant desires, and valuing the old as well as the new, not least as markers of their pedigree and heritance.

Masculinity is an expanding area of gender history. Man''s Estate is the first book to focus on a particular social group, the English landed gentry, and to cover a time span of several hundred years. The authors move beyond the study of printed conduct literature, which dominated earlier accounts, by examining the values expressed in family correspondence in order to get closer to social practices. Letters between parents, children, siblings, and otherrelatives reveal the ways in which masculine norms were produced through everyday interactions and judgements, and help to reconstruct the subjective experiences of elite masculinity in this period. Man''s Estate concentrates on four important periods in the life-course for the reproduction of these masculinevalues: schooling, university, foreign travel, and marriage and family life. These illustrate that there is only limited evidence of sharp-edged differences in values between generations in these families, and that these changes appear not to correspond to the deep ''hegemonic shifts'' so often emphasized in existing accounts.French and Rothery suggest that the fundamental distributions of power and authority within Gentry families remained fairly constant. Conventional ideas of male honour, virtue, reputation, and autonomy were remarkably tenacious, and the continued stress on family heritage, dynastic traditions, and the future security of the family patrimony acted as a brake on changes in the training of young English gentlemen.The research is based on over 4,000 letters drawn from 19 landed families across England between c. 1680 and c. 1900, and is the result of a three-year research project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

This study explores the consumption practices of the landed aristocracy of Georgian England. Focussing on three families and drawing on detailed analysis of account books, receipted bills, household inventories, diaries and correspondence, Consumption and the Country House charts the spending patterns of this elite group during the so-called consumer revolution of the eighteenth century. Generally examined through the lens of middling families, homes and motivations, this book explores the ways in which the aristocracy were engaged in this wider transformation of English society. Analysis centres on the goods that the aristocracy purchased, both luxurious and mundane; the extent to which they pursued fashionable modes and goods; the role that family and friends played in shaping notions of taste; the influence of gender on taste and refinement; the geographical reach of provisioning and the networks that lay behind this consumer activity, and the way this all contributed to the construction of the country house. The country house thus emerges as much more than a repository of luxury and splendour; it lay at the heart of complex networks of exchange, sociability, demand, and supply. Exploring these processes and relationships serves to reanimate the country house, making it an active site of consumption rather than simply an expression of power and taste, and drawing it into the mainstream of consumption histories. At the same time, the landed aristocracy are shown to be rounded consumers, driven by values of thrift and restraint as much as extravagant desires, and valuing the old as well as the new, not least as markers of their pedigree and heritance.

Masculinity is an expanding area of gender history. Man's Estate is the first book to focus on a particular social group, the English landed gentry, and to cover a time span of several hundred years. The authors move beyond the study of printed conduct literature, which dominated earlier accounts, by examining the values expressed in family correspondence in order to get closer to social practices. Letters between parents, children, siblings, and other relatives reveal the ways in which masculine norms were produced through everyday interactions and judgements, and help to reconstruct the subjective experiences of elite masculinity in this period. Man's Estate concentrates on four important periods in the life-course for the reproduction of these masculine values: schooling, university, foreign travel, and marriage and family life. These illustrate that there is only limited evidence of sharp-edged differences in values between generations in these families, and that these changes appear not to correspond to the deep 'hegemonic shifts' so often emphasized in existing accounts. French and Rothery suggest that the fundamental distributions of power and authority within Gentry families remained fairly constant. Conventional ideas of male honour, virtue, reputation, and autonomy were remarkably tenacious, and the continued stress on family heritage, dynastic traditions, and the future security of the family patrimony acted as a brake on changes in the training of young English gentlemen.The research is based on over 4,000 letters drawn from 19 landed families across England between c. 1680 and c. 1900, and is the result of a three-year research project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

The power and status of English male elites were not merely inherited at birth but developed through everyday interactions with family, peers and guardians. Much of these conversations were conducted through correspondence. In this fascinating Sourcebook, Mark Rothery and Henry French present a unique collection of letters which together trace this construction of gender and social identities.The Formation of Male Elite Identities in England, c.1660-1900:- Reveals the lifelong process of shaping and managing manliness via a range of social agents- Illustrates continuities and changes in the values associated with the landed gentry over the course of the period, and within the male lifecycle- Charts the process from school and university, through to experiences of travel, courtship, marriage and work- Provides a detailed Introduction to the letters, editorial guidance throughout, questions to stimulate discussion, and helpful suggestions for further reading

The power and status of English male elites were not merely inherited at birth but developed through everyday interactions with family, peers and guardians. Much of these conversations were conducted through correspondence. In this fascinating Sourcebook, Mark Rothery and Henry French present a unique collection of letters which together trace this construction of gender and social identities.The Formation of Male Elite Identities in England, c.1660-1900:- Reveals the lifelong process of shaping and managing manliness via a range of social agents- Illustrates continuities and changes in the values associated with the landed gentry over the course of the period, and within the male lifecycle- Charts the process from school and university, through to experiences of travel, courtship, marriage and work- Provides a detailed Introduction to the letters, editorial guidance throughout, questions to stimulate discussion, and helpful suggestions for further reading

In this exciting interdisciplinary volume, researchers, archivists, curators and social scientists offer a fresh exploration of the concept of well-being in Britain throughout history and in the present day.Well-being Past and Present examines the various ways well-being has been invoked as a concept or term throughout historical periods, attending to its multifarious meanings and its significance on the way we live our lives. Focusing on the interactions between historical research and heritage and archival methods and practices, the volume bridges the gap between historical experiences of well-being and contemporary well-being interventions by institutions and communities.Across sixteen chapters the authors in Well-being Past and Present travel from the battlefield to the library, the orchard to the archive, and the country house to the hospital ward, examining well-being’s own historical and contemporary position in discourses like leisure, health and happiness. The key questions this volume asks are: has the concept of well-being become too nebulous to carry any real meaning? What happens to the term when we place it in the range of very different contexts that it finds a home in? How do past discourses of well-being connect to the present? How widely is well-being and associated activities spread across our diverse societies?Well-being Past and Present is a timely volume and contributes not just to our historical understanding of well-being but how we can utilise history and heritage to establish communities of care in Britain.

In this exciting interdisciplinary volume, researchers, archivists, curators and social scientists offer a fresh exploration of the concept of well-being in Britain throughout history and in the present day. Well-being Past and Present examines the various ways well-being has been invoked as a concept or term throughout historical periods, attending to its multifarious meanings and its significance on the way we live our lives. Focusing on the interactions between historical research and heritage and archival methods and practices, the volume bridges the gap between historical experiences of well-being and contemporary well-being interventions by institutions and communities. Across sixteen chapters the authors in Well-being Past and Present travel from the battlefield to the library, the orchard to the archive, and the country house to the hospital ward, examining well-being's own historical and contemporary position in discourses like leisure, health and happiness. The key questions this volume asks are: has the concept of well-being become too nebulous to carry any real meaning? What happens to the term when we place it in the range of very different contexts that it finds a home in? How do past discourses of well-being connect to the present? How widely is well-being and associated activities spread across our diverse societies?Well-being Past and Present is a timely volume and contributes not just to our historical understanding of well-being but how we can utilise history and heritage to establish communities of care in Britain.