book chapter

The eighteenth century

Englishman's food; a history of five centuries of English dietLondon • Published In 1940 • Pages: 203-327

By: Drummond, J. C. (Jack C.), Wilbraham, Anne.

Abstract
This source concerns a variety of aspects of English diet in the eighteenth century. The authors begin with a discussion of agriculture, especially the enclosure movement and agricultural experiments of the time. They deal with the effect of these on the diet and lives of poor small-scale farmers, who often found themselves thrown off the land they had cultivated all their lives, as the land owners attempted to improve their production using larger fields and new crops, especially wheat. They next discuss the kinds of food eaten, variation by class, locality, and rural vs. urban distinctions. They discuss the rise of the importance of fruits and vegetables, adulteration of goods, and the use of alcohol, especially gin, and tea. Then they describe meals of the time, again by class and locality, including composition, times, and the quantity of food consumed. They also describe institutional diets, such as those of workhouses, orphanages, and prison. Next is a chapter on beliefs about diet, beginnings of scientific dietary research, and infant feeding. Then they deal with diet and health, including epidemics and diseases, gluttony, and beliefs about food requirements. The last two chapters cover scurvy and rickets, their incidence, ideas about causes, and attempts at treatments. The work is based largely on contemporary sources, such as diaries, letters, scientific journals and books, and provides a good deal of information on the scientific thought of the time, as well as social and even political conditions.
Subjects
Diet
Gratification and control of hunger
Eating
Tillage
Agricultural science
Cereal agriculture
Vegetable production
Arboriculture
Poultry raising
Domesticated animals
Real property
Ethnosociology
Land use
Drinking establishments
Poverty
Classes
Settlement patterns
Urban and rural life
Administrative agencies
Preservation and storage of food
Food preparation
Food service industries
Internal trade
Nonalcoholic beverages
Alcoholic beverages
Production and supply
Taxation and public income
Visiting and hospitality
Standard of living
Dependency
Preventive medicine
Infant feeding
Ethnogeography
Disabilities
Medical therapy
Sociocultural trends
Nutrition
Morbidity
culture
British (1714-1815)
HRAF PubDate
2012
Region
Europe
Sub Region
British Isles
Document Type
book chapter
Evaluation
Creator Type
Physical Scientist
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
Analyst
Martin Malone ; Eleanor Swanson; 1977 ; Teferi Adem Abate ; 2011
Field Date
no date (secondary analysis)
Coverage Date
1700-1800
Coverage Place
England
Notes
J.C. Drummond and Anne Wilbraham
Includes bibliographical references
LCCN
41010284
LCSH
Food supply--Great Britain
Diet