A Pleasing Prospect

Examining the changing historical identity of 18th-century Colchester, England, this account explores the social networks of the provincial town from the perspective of the middling sort, or those easing into the newly industrialized British economy. Based on extensive primary research, 18th-century social networks are painstakingly reconstructed in terms of family, kinship, gender, religion, and politics to examine the relationships between individual, family, and society. Colchester is shown as an agricultural town that found its place in the urban renaissance of industrial England, and this investigation shows the social and familial effects that occurred due to the change.