Sentiment and Survival: Family and Friends in Late Medieval English Towns

Most studies of medieval English urban society analyze the demographic characteristics of households or reconstruct the life of a single family. This study focuses instead on perceptions of family and household among merchants, using the testamentary evidence of three sizable northern towns. What emerges is a surprising variety of family forms, the consequence of second and third marriages; extensive kin recognition; and an acceptance of wider responsibilities for dependents in and beyond the household. Intermarriage, acting as guardians and executors for fellow merchants, and the creation of networks of affines and in-laws signal early stages of class formation. Comparisons are made with studies of medieval and early Tudor London.