Managing for Posterity

“This collection of essays has been thoughtfully edited by Jane Whittle, who emphasises that it is important for historians to keep records of their research so that it is not lost to future researchers. This insightful work by Elizabeth Griffiths would have been lost had she not followed the record-keeping example of Hamon and Alice Le Strange.” Heather Falvey, The Local Historian

“Elizabeth Griffiths's work on the archives of Norfolk gentry has shown just how much can be gleaned from material as prosaic as accounts, not only regarding the estate economy and family finances, but also on other aspects of gentry lives and attitudes.” Patricia Croot, The English Historical Review

“This will be a lasting memorial to Elizabeth Griffiths' work and a valuable addition to the discussion on the 17th century gentry and their estates.” Evelyn Lord, Cambridgeshire Association for Local History Review

“[H]ighly recommended reading both for those who wish to deepen their knowledge of English agriculture in the modern age and for those who are interested in the peculiar English gentry, their attitudes and their role in society.” Lluís Torró Gil, Historia Agraria

“[A] significant contribution to the economic history of East Anglian estates generally and a window that could be opened on the landscape of north-west Norfolk.” Bob Silvester, Landscape History

“The book is very readable. There is a great deal of fascinating detail derived from the archives that is backed up by a familiarity with modern farming practices and estate management together with an on-the-ground knowledge of topography and soils.” Victor Morgan, Norfolk Archaeology

Securing the long-term survival and status of the family has always been the principal concern of the English aristocracy and gentry. Central to that ambition has been the successful management of their landed estates, whilst failure in this regard could spell ruination for an entire family. In the sixteenth century, the task became more difficult as price inflation reduced the value of rents; improved management skills were called for. In Norfolk, estates began to change hands rapidly as the unaware or simply incompetent failed to grasp the issues, while the more astute and enterprising landowners capitalised on their neighbours' misfortunes.

When Sir Hamon Le Strange inherited his family's ancient estate at Hunstanton in 1604 it was much depleted and heavily encumbered. The outlook was bleak: such circumstances often led to the disappearance of families as landowners. However, within a generation, he and his remarkable wife Alice had modernised the estate and secured the family's future. After 700 years, the Le Stranges still survive and prosper on their estate at Hunstanton, making them the longest surviving gentry family in Norfolk. The first part of this book presents new research into the secret of their rare success. A key aspect of their strategy was a belief in the power (and economic value) of knowledge: Hamon and Alice wanted to ensure that their improvements would endure for posterity. To this end, they curated their knowledge through meticulous record-keeping and carefully handed it down to their successors. This behaviour, instilled in the family, not only facilitated on-going reforms, but helped future generations overcome the inevitable reversals and challenges they also faced.

The second part of the book collects together four related papers from Elizabeth Griffiths' research about the Le Stranges, Hobarts and Wyndhams, republished from the Agricultural History Review and edited from two Norfolk Record Society volumes. For anyone interested in early modern rural society and agriculture and the history of Norfolk gentry estates, this volume will be essential reading, offering as it does new perspectives on the history of estate management, notably the role of women, the relationship with local communities and sustainability in agriculture.

Elizabeth Griffiths was an honorary research fellow at University of Exeter and co-author, with Jane Whittle, of Consumption and Gender in the Early Seventeenth Century Household: The World of Alice Le Strange (OUP, 2012). She passed away in April 2020 while this volume was in preparation. It has been compiled and edited by her friend and research collaborator, Jane Whittle, Professor of Economic and Social History at the University of Exeter and Series Editor of Studies in Regional and Local History.