Social structure in late 17 century Cheapside · Row 1 Main title Col-umn 1 C um 2 Col-umn 3 Social...

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Social structure in late 17th century CheapsideGill Newton

Cambridge Group for the History of Population and Social Structure

Mercer’s hall and shop fronts in 17th century Cheapside

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City of London Parish boundary map, showing the location of the 5 Cheapside parishes

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Difficulties of Family Reconstitution in London

• High population turnover

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Difficulties of Family Reconstitution in London

• High population turnover

• Administrative complexity post-Fire

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The Cheapside parishes before the Fire: a closer look

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Difficulties of Family Reconstitution in London

• High population turnover

• Administrative complexity post-Fire

• Marriages & burials outside home parish

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Marriages outstripping 3 united parishes burials and baptisms 1680-1720

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

1680 1685 1690 1695 1700 1705 1710 1715 1720

marriages x3 baptisms burials

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Family size (parity)

Mean parity at death of either spouse N families

Cheapside 1538-1721 4.1 95

Clerkenwell 1550-99 2.5 83Clerkenwell 1600-49 2.7 179Clerkenwell 1650-99 3.0 117Clerkenwell 1700-49 3.1 309

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Linking Family Reconstitutions to Marriage Duty Assessments

biological families• longitudinal: 1548-1721

• baptisms, burials and marriages

• Anglican

all residents

• cross-sectional: 1695

• includes servants/other unmarrieds

• includes Nonconformists

• MDA family – current reconstituted family

• MDA adults – past (childhood) reconstituted family

• MDA unmarrieds – future reconstituted family

Marriage Duty Assessment Family reconstitution

Types of link

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Marriage Duty Assessment people matched in Reconstitutions

0

100

200

300

400

500

husbands wives sons anddaughters

servants widows bachelorsand

widowers

other

n

In Marriage Duty Assessmentonly

In Marriage Duty Assessmentand Family Reconstitution orburial register

68 %50 %

12 %5 % 21 %

46 %18 %

Are the 1695 inhabitants traceable in the parish registers of equal wealth to those not found?

All 225 heads of household by Assessment taxband

£1 4s45%

£5 4s1%

4s54%

144 matched heads of household by Assessment taxband

4s51%

£5 4s1%

£1 4s48%

Occupational structure by taxband: families listed in 1695 Assessment and in continuous observation from parish records