Small fortunes : property, inheritance and the middling sort in Stockport, 1800-57
This thesis is concerned with understanding some of the social relations of property transmission among the middling-sort community of the northern industrial town of Stockport in the early-nineteenth century. Studies of the social relations of property in nineteenth-century England have often been written around the concept of class. The thesis begins with a brief, but critical, evaluation of recent theoretical and empirical studies of class. This is done in order to highlight some of the difficulties of using class as a conceptual framework for understanding the importance of property within the social worlds of those who owned it. An alternative approach is advanced which foregrounds the study of property itself. It is argued that by paying attention to the practices of property ownership and transmission it is possible to explore both the material and discursive significance of property to its owners. The following chapter reviews the literature on inheritance in order to demonstrate the range of issues that the study of property transmission can cast light upon. In addition, it sets out a methodology for studying property transmission practices, highlighting the importance of exploring inheritance within
Owens, Alastair John
Geography ; History
Small fortunes : property, inheritance and the middling sort in Stockport, 1800-57. This thesis is concerned with understanding some of the social relations of property transmission among the middling-sort community of the northern industrial town of Stockport in the early-nineteenth century. Studies of the social relations of property in nineteenth-century England have often been written around the concept of class. The thesis begins with a brief, but critical, evaluation of recent theoretical and empirical studies of class. This is done in order to highlight some of the difficulties of using class as a conceptual framework for understanding the importance of property within the social worlds of those who owned it. An alternative approach is advanced which foregrounds the study of property itself. It is argued that by paying attention to the practices of property ownership and transmission it is possible to explore both the material and discursive significance of property to its owners. The following chapter reviews the literature on inheritance in order to demonstrate the range of issues that the study of property transmission can cast light upon. In addition, it sets out a methodology for studying property transmission practices, highlighting the importance of exploring inheritance within
small fortune property inheritance middle_sort concerned social_relation property transmission among middling sort community_northern industrial_town studies social_relation property nineteenth_century england often write around concept class begin_brief critical_evaluation recent_theoretical empirical_study class order_highlight difficulty use class conceptual_framework importance property within social_world own alternative advance foreground study property itself argue pay_attention practice property ownership transmission possible explore material discursive significance property owner follow review_literature inheritance order range issue study property transmission cast_light upon addition set study property transmission practice highlight_importance explore inheritance within