Women's public lives in four Warwickshire urban centres, 1660-1740

This project will examine women's contributions to public life in four Warwickshire towns; Coventry (leading medieval town and trading centre, which then declined), Birmingham (unincorporated small town developing rapidly in this period), Warwick (leading county town with gentry influence), and Stratford-upon-Avon (small and successful trading centre).

It will focus on the period 1660-1740, after the Civil War and before the industrial revolution, which is generally under-studied, falling between the conventional chronological boundaries of the early modern period and 'the long eighteenth century'.

The project will explore how the type of administration of each urban centre, its standing and its socio-economic profile had an impact on the public lives of the women living there.

It will also examine whether the different characteristics of the towns had a significant influence on women's public lives, or whether their lives were mostly defined by national developments and policies, and society's patriarchal attitudes towards women.

Research will involve close reading of archival resources, and piecing together fragments of information to learn more about the women in these towns.

The areas of public life which will be explored include paid work and financial dealings, worship and religious life, charitable contributions and bequests, public events and activities, civic obligations and politics and town governance.