ABSTRACT
Astheauthoradmits,attemptstounderstandthe'collective mentality'oftownspeoplewillalwaysbebasedonfragmentary evidenceandlackthefirmnessoragreedcriteriaforprooffound ineconomicorpoliticalhistory.HereDavidPallisercollects materialfromhisstudyofTudorYork,aconservativecityin politics,religionandarguablyinitseconomicbasis,toarguethe caseforacontinuityofmedieval'assumptions,relationshipsand physicalsurroundings'amidstgreatchanges.Asheshows,what persistedweretheeffortsoftownspeopletocopewiththefluctuationsandcrisesofurbanlifethroughtheorderingoftimeand space,provisionforhealthandeducationandsoon.Withinhis period,moreover,heseessignificantshifts,forexampleinhousing andlanguage.Thesechangescannotbeunderstoodwithoutconsideringthenationalpicture,andYork'sexperiencemaynotbe typicalofotherlargetowns,letaloneofsmallerplaceswithaless dominatingmedievalheritage.Comparedtopre-Reformationand Stuarttowns,Tudortownsstilllacksystematicanalysisofthiskind, despitetheassumption,repeatedhere,thattheReformationwasa culturalwatershed.
