Narratives of the Poor in Eighteenth-Century England

This work presents narratives of the Poor in Eighteenth-Century Britain.

The Eighteenth Century was a time of great change for the poor of Britain, yet their experience and the views of those who dealt with them have often been difficult to access.

This five-volume reset collection of previously unpublished and rarely available primary source material significantly broadens our understanding of 'poor reality' by bringing together voices from all levels of society and from all over Britain.

The edition covers the period from the early eighteenth century through to the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 and includes new transcriptions of hand-written first-hand representations of poverty to poor law officials, the London Foundling Hospital and the London Refuge for the Destitute, plus selections from literary tracts, ballads, court literature and other prose works.

Importantly, much of the writing on the poor is written by the poor.

This edition is fully reset and benefits from a full editorial apparatus including: a substantial general introduction, introduction to each volume, headnote to each text, endnotes and a consolidated index in the final volume.