British Family Structure: Expressions of Power and Conceptions of Family

Grade Level at Time of Presentation

Senior

Major

History/International Studies

Institution

Murray State University

KY House District #

36

KY Senate District #

36

Department

History Department

Abstract

The goal of this research is to examine family structure in early modern Scotland and England though the use of written communication. The primary focus will be on aristocratic families with a secondary look at upper-middle class families. This is due primarily to availability of records, and also why I will mainly be using written correspondence rather than secondary analyses, as this field is still relatively new. By exploring the development of key familial relationships (e.g. parent-child, husband-wife, and in-law interactions) through private correspondence, larger insights can be drawn about gender and the nuclear family. Also, these central relationships guide discussions about marriage, the role of children, and the dynamics of a family economy. This study explores how families are created and how upper class families function in early modern Europe. The intersection between these select relationships and the larger societal roles will provide conclusions about the early modern aristocratic family.

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British Family Structure: Expressions of Power and Conceptions of Family

The goal of this research is to examine family structure in early modern Scotland and England though the use of written communication. The primary focus will be on aristocratic families with a secondary look at upper-middle class families. This is due primarily to availability of records, and also why I will mainly be using written correspondence rather than secondary analyses, as this field is still relatively new. By exploring the development of key familial relationships (e.g. parent-child, husband-wife, and in-law interactions) through private correspondence, larger insights can be drawn about gender and the nuclear family. Also, these central relationships guide discussions about marriage, the role of children, and the dynamics of a family economy. This study explores how families are created and how upper class families function in early modern Europe. The intersection between these select relationships and the larger societal roles will provide conclusions about the early modern aristocratic family.