Norfolk Pauper Inventories, c.1690-1834

Joseph Harley is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Derby. He held an Economic History Society fellowship at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London and has previously taught at the University of Leicester and Loughborough University. He is an expert in poverty, consumption and welfare in Britain during the long eighteenth century (c.1650-1850) and has published articles in Historical Journal, Social History, and Continuity and Change.

• List of figures and mapsTablesAcknowledgementsAbbreviationsPauper inventories as a historical sourceThe context and practice of making pauper inventoriesLegality of the practiceParish motives to make pauper inventoriesConclusionThe sample of Norfolk inventoriesThe sampleGeographical and socio-economic distribution of pauper inventoriesChronological distribution of pauper inventoriesTypes of paupers whose goods were inventoriedConclusionThe structure and content pauper inventoriesLayout and formatRepresentativeness of items recorded in pauper inventoriesUsefulness of pauper inventories for studying material lifeConclusionTranscription conventions and editorial principlesPauper inventoriesAshwellthorpeBesthorpeBressinghamBrockdishBunwellCarbrookeCawstonForncett St. PeterGissingHaptonEast HarlingWest HarlingHilgayHinghamHolme-next-the-SeaHoptonHorningtoftIngworthLettonLoddonMarthamGreat Moulton with Little MoultonNorwich, St. Mary in the MarshRedenhall with Harleston and WortwellSheltonShimplingShipdhamStratton St. MarySurlinghamTharstonTrowseWightonWinfarthingYelverton with AlpingtonAppendicesAppendix 1: List of pauper inventories by settlementAppendix 2: List of pauper inventories by surnameAppendix 3: List of pauper inventories by dateGlossary of inventory termsPrimary sourcesBibliography

In addition to contextualizing the published inventories, Norfolk pauper inventories provides a rich and accessible introduction to pauper inventories as a historical source in the four chapters that precede the sources themselves.