Author Description
This is the story of a village in East Anglia, astride its common stream, a saga of continuity and change which stretches back across a landscape of two thousand years. It took Rowland Parker thirteen years of detective work to piece this jigsaw together, combing his way through records of archaeological excavations and manor court rolls, and collecting stories at the pub alongside his scholarly inspection of old wills and land tax returns. The intense focus he brought to his work was amplified by his desire to tell the story of the common man, his feuds and fun, his farms, fights, fornications, and families.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This work investigates the evolution of a single English village over two millennia to uncover the lived experience of the common person. Rowland Parker, a dedicated local historian, utilizes a rigorous methodology that bridges the gap between academic archival research and oral tradition. By synthesizing disparate records, he constructs a comprehensive social history that prioritizes the daily lives, struggles, and customs of ordinary villagers over the narratives of the ruling elite.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Two thousand years of continuous village history in East Anglia.
- Analysis of manor court rolls, old wills, and land tax returns.
- Integration of archaeological data with local oral histories.
Scope Limits
- The study is geographically restricted to one specific village and its immediate surroundings.
- The narrative does not attempt to provide a broad national history of England, focusing instead on micro-history.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Historians and readers frequently praise this work for its meticulous research and its ability to humanize dry archival data. It is widely regarded as a model for local history writing due to its accessible prose and deep contextual understanding of rural English life.
Page Count:
283
Publication Date:
1975-01-01
Publisher:
Holt, Rinehart & Winston
ISBN-10:
0030145112
ISBN-13:
9780030145117
Non-Fiction
History
Social History
Local History
British History