The eponymous hero of this book is an old man, who lived in a small provincial town, remote from fashionable centres of polite society. Yet the letters of Joseph Symson provide a rare glimpse into the public and private life of an inland merchant who was also a member of England's urban elite. The volume reveals how Symson organised his trade and attempted to organise his family. It details his responses to the political, economic, and religious uncertainties of the early years of the eighteenth century.
Joseph Symson's letter book inhabits two worlds. The first is an insular, closely-knit society of prominent north west mercantile and ecclesiastical families - a world of connection, regional affiliation and kinship. From his home in Kendal, Symson documents aspects of Lakeland society before the advent of tourism and Wordsworth.
His correspondents, however, included merchants and kinsmen based in London, Liverpool and Manchester. In consequence, the book yields insights into the commercial communities of what Symson himself described as the great trading towns of England. His was a society becoming increasingly integrated with the economies of England, Ireland and Scotland - a world linked to the expansion of the Atlantic economy.
The volume provides a detailed account of the Symson family, and an appendix profiles some 200 correspondents, including many north west families.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
Dr Smith has produced a fine edition. The critical apparatus is superb. * Northern History * ... the importance of the letter book to historians is not only the rare, detailed account it provides of the significance and limitations of trade in a small, remote industrial town, but also in the social thrust that propelled the business world. * Northern History * Simon Smith, in editing the letter book of Joseph Symson, has performed a remarkable service for historians of the North of England and indeed others anxious to unravel more generally the 'dark ages' of economic and social history, the period 1650-1750. * Northern History * the publication of this excellent edition of the business letters of Joseph Symson, a mercer of Kendal (Westmorland), will be welcomed by a wide range of historians ... Smith deserves thanks for making this unique source available to other students and scholars ... The editorial work is meticulous and the conventions followed in producing the text are clearly explained. * Christopher Brooks, H-Albion * This volume includes more than 2000 letters, and has been excellently edited by Simon Smith, with extensive indexing by place, name and subject. It greatly adds to our knowledge of an important but relatively poorly documented subject. * English Historical Review * A rich source for local, social and economic historians. A special bouquet is due to Dr Smith for his substantial introduction, a book in itself, which provides so much background information. * The Keswick Reminder * This very important publication, which contributes significantly to the historical resources available for our two counties ... will give great pleasure and interest to many. * Cumberland & Westmorland Antiquarian & Archaeological Society Newsletter * An enormous range of topics appears in the excellent subject index. * Cumberland & Westmorland Antiquarian & Archaeological Society Newsletter *
Reihe
Sprache
Verlagsort
Zielgruppe
Illustrationen
9pp halftone plates, 1 map
Maße
Höhe: 245 mm
Breite: 164 mm
Dicke: 52 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-0-19-726258-0 (9780197262580)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Herausgeber*in
Lecturer in History, University of York
