The Development of Agrarian Capitalism: Land and Labour in Norfolk 1440-1580

by Jane Whittle

This is an important new study of the roots of capitalism. Jane Whittle provides a penetrating analysis of the links between peasant society and early capitalism as she discusses north-east Norfolk, a county which played a leading role in the agrarian revolution. She uses a rich variety of sources from the precocious and commercialized locality to examine a range of topics, from the manorial system and serfdom, land rights, land markets and inheritance, to the distribution of land and wealth, the development of labor pools, and changing labor laws.

Genres: History

376 pages, Hardcover

First published May 11, 2000

Reviews

[Tristan Cullum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skimmed. Probably the book I would recommend to people wanting a rebuttal to Brenner / Ellen Meiksins Wood, et al. (see also: Shami Ghosh, "Rural Economies and Transitions to Capitalism: Germany and England Compared," and the exchange between Ghosh and Chris Wickham in Past & Present). Specialized, but very skimmable.