Comments on: Book Review: Angela Nicholls Almshouses in Early Modern England

By: Callan Hass

Callan Hass — Thu, 03 Mar 2022 21:37:07 +0000

I’m super late to the party but I just wanted to say….

Logan, I couldn’t agree more with you. You’ve pretty much hit every one of my thoughts in this review. I will admit I had a lot of apprehension in regards to reading this book as it is heavily reliant on statistics. Nicholls’s work is more of a historiography than a study as she really analyzes the work of colleagues that went before her in the field. At times, as you said, she definitely gets “lost in the reeds” while discussing other scholars’ arguments. I got lost a few times and had to pay close attention to the introduction and conclusion of each chapter in order to really understand what her arguments were. That being said, numbers scare me. The statistics were daunting, and I understand their purpose, but I found myself frequently glossing over those sections. I honestly felt as if I was reading a scientific journal rather than a historical work. I did like having the maps and actual photos for reference though!

By: Dr. Otis

Dr. Otis — Thu, 03 Mar 2022 16:21:05 +0000

As a data point, “dissertation books” often (though not always) seem to have an excessive justification of the topic of research via criticism of previous scholars.

By: emeyers

emeyers — Thu, 03 Mar 2022 04:03:25 +0000

I want to start by saying that I especially agree with you about Nicholls was highly critical of earlier historians to an excessive extent at times. The one that stood out to me the most was pg 44 when she goes hard tearing Goose’s argument apart because of his calculations being off.
That being said, I do think that this was an interesting perspective to take on the topic. This mathematical side gives a broader view of just how much of the population used these places and how it effected society. I personally don’t normally love math haha but I think the stats and charts in chapter 2 really helped to grasp that main argument you mention. She shows how and why this housing expands in only some areas. She attributes one of the reasons to be simply the taxes and wealth distribution.
While I find her criticism of other historians a bit much at times, I still find her argument valid. She does point out those inconsistencies in others and her own research with looking at mostly primary sources to guide her. If it wasn’t for those, I don’t think I would take this work as seriously. Sadly, I don’t think I will find myself reading this book again haha

By: William/Bill

William/Bill — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 23:51:34 +0000

Almshouses were part of the “safety net” that English society provided for people unable to care for themselves. Other resources were provided by families, churches, wealthy donors, and municipalities. One of Nicholls’s main contributions is to show the variety of almshouses and their practices and residents. Another is to show how one community used poor relief, an almshouse, and other resources to provide needed services.
Our reviewers have done an excellent job in summarizing Nicholls’s book. I agree with the observation that a better understanding of poverty in this period would be useful in evaluating her arguments and understanding the effects of almshouses generally. It seems clear that wealthy counties, like Kent, had more almshouses, but they were also more populous. Were there more poor people in Kent because of its greater population and despite its wealth? Or, perhaps, was the demand for housing for the poor the same everywhere but because there were more rich people in Kent (and rich people are the ones who endow almshouses) more facilities were available. I expect that if she could have answered the question she would have. This book is a good example of how to use narrative to combine text sources, data, and analysis to illuminate the lives of non-elites.