Blood, Bodies and Families in Early Modern England

Blood, Bodies and Families' presents an innovative series of studies in the cultural and social history of early modern England. The book includes key new research and previously published influential studies. It includes studies of menstruation, sexual knowledge, as well as of infants and maternity. Two new studies, one about blood and paternity, the other about the sibling relationship, and an Introduction extend our understanding of the meanings of families for individuals in early modern times. A sustained treatment of gender offers a new perspective on the history of an individual family and the shaping of its history.

Blood, Bodies and FamiliesA draws upon original research in a range of primary and secondary sources. The new studies, especially the one on siblings, open up new areas for early modern history. The Introduction relates these issues of family life to the present and succeeds in being both highly topical and engagingly personal.

This work is essential reading for students, teachers and researchers in all areas of the history of the family and of early modern history.

Patricia Crawford is Professor of History at the University of Western Australia. She is the author of "Women and Religion in England 1500-1720 (1993), Women in Early Modern England "(with Sara Mendelson)(1998) and "WomenAs Worlds in Seventeenth-Century England: A Sourcebook" (with Laura Gowing)(1999).

This collection of essays contains a wealth of information on the nature of the family in the early modern period. This is a core topic within economic and social history courses which is taught at most universities.
This text gives readers an overview of how feminist historians have been interpreting the history of the family, ever since Laurence Stone's seminal work FAMILY, SEX AND MARRIAGE IN ENGLAND 1500-1800 was published in 1977.
The text is divided into three coherent parts on the following themes: bodies and reproduction; maternity from a feminist perspective; and family relationships. Each part is prefaced by a short introduction commenting on new work in the area.
This book will appeal to a wide variety of students because of its sociological, historical and economic foci.