ABSTRACT

The World We Have Lost is a seminal work in the study of family and class, kinship and community in England after the Middle Ages and before the changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution. The book explores the size and structure of families in pre-industrial England, the number and position of servants, the elite minority of gentry, rates of migration, the ability to read and write, the size and constituency of villages, cities and classes, conditions of work and social mobility.

chapter 2|31 pages

A ONE-CLASS SOCIETY

chapter 3|28 pages

THE VILLAGE COMMUNITY

chapter 4|25 pages

MISBELIEFS ABOUT OUR ANCESTORS

chapter 5|16 pages

BIRTHS, MARRIAGES AND DEATHS

chapter 6|31 pages

DID THE PEASANTS REALLY STARVE?

chapter 7|29 pages

PERSONAL DISCIPLINE AND SOCIAL SURVIVAL

chapter 11|28 pages

AFTER THE TRANSFORMATION

chapter 12|13 pages

UNDERSTANDING OURSELVES IN TIME