Studying the Stayers: Kinship and Social Status in Long Melford, Suffolk, 1661-1861

Abstract

This article continues my research into the stable population of Long Melford in Suffolk from 1661–1861, published in Local Population Studies, 95, which showed that amongst couples there was an increase in stability during this period, particularly by the early to mid nineteenth century. It considers the relationship between kinship and social status amongst Long Melford couples in the same period, discusses how these factors relate to stability and shows that the increase in stability in Long Melford was largely concentrated in one part of the local population. The article begins with a brief summary of the methods and results reported in that first article.