Community and neighbourliness: the geographic spread of the socioeconomic relationships in an early modern market town, Preston c. 1660-1740

Abstract

Given the availability of source material produced within the town, it is remarkable that early modern Preston has never been the subject of a comprehensive review or survey. The town had a functioning corporation that generated a large amount of correspondence in addition to numerous accounts which have survived. There are also a unique series of maps dated to 1684 which provide a geographic reconstruction of the town’s streets, properties and its household-heads. By properly examining this material, an insight into the economic activity occurring within the town can be gained. Firstly, the findings from this analysis, in contrast to existing studies, will suggest that the town did not undergo significant changes in economic activity in the period 1684-1732. Rather than registering movements to towards a more diverse service base, the occupation structure of the town experienced remarkable continuity over the period. The 1684 maps also allow for the geographic distribution of the household-heads (and their interrelationships) to be studied. Previous studies of early modern interrelationships have not been able to explore geographic variables in the detail that is available here. Consequently, the results of this study will, secondly, show that close proximity was a crucial factor in determining interrelationships between household-heads.