This work investigates the socioeconomic structures and daily life of the French town of Bayeux during the final decades of the eighteenth century. Olwen H. Hufton, a distinguished historian of early modern France, utilizes local archives and parish records to reconstruct the material conditions of the urban population. The book argues that the town's social stability was maintained through a complex interplay of religious institutions, guild regulations, and traditional charity networks, which faced increasing pressure as the century drew to a close. By focusing on the micro-history of a single locality, the author provides a granular view of the tensions that preceded the French Revolution.

Historians frequently cite this study as a foundational example of micro-history that effectively bridges the gap between local social conditions and broader national trends. Scholars appreciate the rigorous archival methodology and the clarity with which Hufton delineates the constraints of pre-revolutionary urban life.