Book
London in the eighteenth century
A. & C. Black • London • Published In 1902 • Pages: xvii, 667 , plates
By: Besant, Walter.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This mammoth history of London presents a wide variety of brief chapters on life in London and the surrounding region from about 1700 to 1837. The source is an attempt to give the feel of life during the times, rather than to provide a detailed history. However, there is much detail and the reader is immersed in the events, manners, smells, sounds, sights, and general environment of eighteenth century London. There are seven sections to the book. The first, 'Historical Notes,' includes 20 chapters on such topics as the great storm of 1703, the South Sea bubble, the effects of the American and French Revolutions, and parliamentary reform. Part two, 'The City and the Streets,' describes the physical environment of the city with chapters on the extent of the city, the condition of the streets, 'postal arrangements, 'and a slum in 1788. Part three concerns the church, its relations with the city, its powers, and dissenters. Chapters on superstitions and libraries are included here apparently for lack of a better location. Part four concerns the government of the city, trade, and trade unions. Part five, 'Manners and Customs,' contains 21 chapters on everything from an account of daily life, clothing, weddings, and funerals, to medicine, the duration of life, and indigence. Part six, 'Society and Amusements,' principally describes the life of the upper class and touches upon the theatre, spas and resorts, and gambling. Part seven, 'Crime, Police, Justice, Debtors, Prisons,' is a lengthy account of the prevalence of crime and lack of protection in London, the police and the courts, and a detailed look at prisons and punishments. Six appendices provide tabular information on (1) the frequency and location of church services, daily prayers, holy communion and sermons in 1733; (2) locations of meeting houses of different denominations; (3) almshouses; (4) tax and other city offices; (5) mortality and morbidity in 1770; and (6) a list of tavern names and signs. A chronicle of historical events from 1701 to 1837, and a map of London in 1741-1745 completes the volume. There is also a detailed index. Besant wrote for a British audience and often makes assumptions about his readers knowledge of British history which may be unjustified for American or other readers. Outside sources may therefore be needed to occasionally clear up points which Besant leaves ambiguous. Besant's reliance on primary sources including pamphlets and forgotten novels of the time, helps to recreate the atmosphere of eighteenth century London.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Cities
- Disasters
- External relations
- External trade
- Deliberative councils
- Political movements
- Taxation and public income
- Police
- Mercantile business
- Retail marketing
- Brawls, riots, and banditry
- Congregations
- Religious denominations
- Housing
- Gender status
- Drinking establishments
- Food service industries
- Classes
- Gambling
- Spectacles
- Normal garb
- Occupational specialization
- Diet
- Exhibitions
- Prisons and jails
- Labor organization
- Crime
- General character of religion
- Standard of living
- Nuptials
- Domestic service
- Medical therapy
- Recreational facilities
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- British (1714-1815)
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2012
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Europe
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- British Isles
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- Book
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Historian
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- Martin Malone; 1977 ; Teferi Adem Abate ; 2011
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- no date
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- eighteenth century (1700-1837)
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- England
- NotesAdditional notes
- Sir Walter Besant
- Includes index
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 03002034
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- London (England)--History--18th century