The English Village: culture, economy and society in the long run

The English village has existed for a millennium. In this research I will bring material collected through a lifetime of learning, together with new research. to deliver an ambitious project designed to make a critical contribution to our understanding of rural society through an approach which has not previously been attempted.

I will research and write two academic articles and the first substantial modern monograph covering the long-run history of the English village, taking into account its cultural, economic and social development across time. I will do so by using a range of resources which have not in the past been available simultaneously, together with my own knowledge and experience from thirty years of research in rural society, including detailed work over the past five years while I have been Director of the Victoria County History.

The English village emerged in the late Saxon period when we can first identify organic communities. Over time we can distinguish the manor, the parish, the township, and other localised identities including (particularly in northern England) palatinates, regalities, franchises and liberties. The research is designed to disentangle these different strands in such a way as to establish a model of the English village over time, which will distinguish village types in terms of size and structures, economic activities, social structures, and cultural affinities, including the role of the parish church. I shall describe and at the same time assess changes in the structure of the village through time, distinguishing between northern, midland and southern parishes and manors, and examining, for example, the impact of the decline of the manor, the importance of the parish in both ecclesiastical and civil matters, and in more recent times the impact on the village of industrialisation and urbanization, the role of government, and the changing focus of the village since the Second World War. I shall look to draw contrasts and comparisons in each period, to assess the differences between villages across the country as a consequence of their economic, social and cultural experiences, and then relate these differences to issues such as farming practice, the role of the Church, the impact of the manor, lordship (both resident and non-resident), and the importance of migration for the growth or decline of the village.

Where possible, comparisons will be drawn with experiences elsewhere in Britain and Europe, taking into account particularly the role of the parish as a European institution, the impact of church (perhaps most notably in Ireland), and the differing experiences of European states in regard to industry and urbanisation, and how this has related to different social and cultural experiences.

Overall, the key issue is to understand the economy, society and culture of the English village through time, to see how it developed as a result of internal and external pressures, and to show how the village of today has emerged as a result of changes and pressures over time.

The Fellowship will enable me to complet a major longitudinal study of the English village over the past millennium, which will distinguish its form and structure in different periods and in different parts of the country, and provide a detailed overview that will provide both the scholar and the interested reader with an assessment of rural society which draws on a range of sources, both primary and secondary, to inform the discussion.

Local, regional and family historians. This group includes members of county archaeological and town/parish history groups, of which there are more than 300, and family history societies (more than 800 societies).They will gain access to a long-period study by someone who holds a Chair of English Regional History, and has held the position of VCH General Editor and as such will be regarded as an authority in the field. The monograph is expected to become the key text in the field.

Museum, library and archive staff: better known perhaps as public historians. My work will provide a solid point of reference from an acknowledged authority in the field, and I shall seek to disseminate it by:.

Lectures outlining the village model I am setting up so that public historians can utilise this in their own work.
Leading workshops looking at my methodology and sources, and at the implications for their work in relation to villages structures and through time evolution.


Policy makers looking for evidence in relation to modern planning which often overlooks the historical dimension to many current rural issues. The final chapter of the proposed monograph will look specifically at some of the key policy issues in the village over the past fifty years, particularly in relation to the culture clash between long-term residents and incomers.

General Public. I am currently acting as an adviser to a television series on the English village.

The following actions, other than the monograph, will be taken to ensure that these groups have the opportunity to benefit from this research:

Lectures and workshops. I will seek out invitations including invitations to the annual conferences of professional groups such as the Society of Archivists
Articles for popular commercial journals such as History Today or BBC History Magazine
Newsletter articles drawing attention to the project including Local History Today, and Rural History News which circulate to several thousand local and regional historians through individual subscription or through libraries, museums and archive offices.

There are no cost implications because these groups normally pay expenses.