Seventeenth Century Life in the Country Parish with Special Reference to Local Government

London: Frank Cass and Co Limited, 1919. NOT AN EX LIBRARY COPY!... Based mainly upon the records of the North And East Ridings of Yorkshire, this study of local self-government in the 17th century also provides a typical picture of the "dull, undulated life of the country parish" throughout England. From her own local knowledge, the author has been able to draw from a wide variety of local sources from Canon Atkinson's "quarter sessions records" of the North Riding, and from other early legal works; From Lambard's 'Eirenarcha' (1851), and Dalton's 'Country Justice (1618) - the equivalent of the later 'Stones Justices Manual' - from the 'Exact Constable' of 1660 and from other later works of a similar nature. The local government which is described with such a wealth of references owed it's form chiefly to Tudor legislation, of which the author is a competent critic. Amongst the subjects she discusses are the churchwardens and their influence in the administration of the parish, the position of the 'minister'( 'parson' or 'Anglican priest') and his numerous duties, the 'Petty Constable', and the atmosphere of ridicule which surrounded him, the almost universal belief in Witchcraft and the attitude towards it as revealed in the quarter sessions records, and the administration of legal matters and regulations concerning trade and labour. Also included is a brief but informative account of the position of the agricultural labourer in this period, and of his subsequent social and economic downfall, and the book terminates with a useful reproduction of Blaeu's map of the North Riding, originally published in 1662. First published in 1919, Eleanor Trotter's historical survey of local government has an unrivaled scholarly thoroughness which makes this reissue invaluable to all students of English history. 242pp including Map and index. .This book will be POSTED AT OUR STANDARD RATES FULLY INSURED (UK) ONLY . Please email for further details. NOT Inscribed or Signed. New Impression 1968. Green Cloth. Near Fine (NEAR NEW)/NEAR FINE (NEAR NEW). Illus. by Not Illustrated. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾". HARDBACK.