17th Century references

Can anyone recommend any good books on everyday life during the earlier part of the 17th Century, in England or Scotland? This might sound childish but something with a load of illustrations would be very handy. I've gone through Amazon and there are a few there but most are quite expensive, none are in our library, so I wondered if anyone had any personal favourites that they use for research? (before I spend a fortune). Even kids' ones if they're accurate enough would be fine, as I just find the illustrations help to fix the look of the period and all in my head before I settle to write.

I have a huge pile of books on the period, but most are concerned with political or economic situations, and the few more specific ones I have (country houses and things like that) are from our library. I'd quite like to invest in a few of my own.

Also, the book I have at present on costume is 'A Handbook of English Costume in the Seventeenth Century' by CW Cunnington, but I'm looking for another, if anyone knows of one?

Any help is appreciated. I've just done a lot of extra work recently so obviously with all the repairs that need done to the house, all the stuff I should spend the money on, I'm going to expand my library...

pdr said:

Jess, picture histories, mine are all in NZ, but there is a children's series by Macmillan or Usbourne called 'A Day in the Life of (you'd want a Stewart Day) Osborne books and Usbourne books also do good pictorial history books of the time.

Try looking in that 2nd hand, no postal charges, online bookshop - http://www.bookdepository.co.uk - and see what they have. I've found some gems for my 17thC research, but I wasn't looking for picture books

Also Osprey books do very good military picture books so you can get ones of the Civil War cavalry and infantry. http://www.ospreypublishing.com

What's wrong with the Willet Cunnington book? All of them are held to be the best costume books and I agree. The 17thC one has great details about hats and handkerchiefs, moustaches and ribbons and underclothes.

I am sure your library will have the children's history books as history is an important part of the school curriculum now, and the Civil War is included. And if you ask your librarian s/he won't be surprised, as most sensible people who want to learn the basics start with children's books. I mean how many adult history books, even ones about cooking say, have illustrations of the things they talk about. I wanted to see a Stewart tinder box and it was only a children's book which had the pictures and showed how to use it!

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Thanks, pdr, but thing is, I'm in Scotland. Civil War isn't on the curriculum here. I'll have a look in the education section at the uni library (for the folks in teacher training) and then try the local library, but generally there is a dearth of books in there. Actually one thing you made me think of was my mother's school. She teaches in a pretty good primary school over in Fife and their library's always had things outside the standard curriculum. I might ask her to have a look around for me.

There are a load of them on Amazon second hand, but too many to buy the lot and chance that some might be useful. They could do with having that 'search inside' thing on the kids' books so you can see the standard of them, or at the least the age range or reviews. I just wondered if anyone had found anything specific that was particularly useful.

The Cunnington book is all right provided you have a good knowledge of costume history to start with, and I only did a tiny bit of that at theatre college. I just find it very hard to picture the outfits it's describing as it tends to only rely on the contemporary descriptions without really explaining out what they were or illustrating them. Guaranteed, if I see something listed that I like the sound of, it won't be illustrated so I can check what it actually looked like and can try to picture my character in it.

donroc said:

I forget the author, but FAMILY, SEX, AND MARRIAGE IN ENGLAND, 1500-1800 is an excellent reference book and easy reading. It has a wonderful poem by Rochester within about some woman's lack of hygeine: "Fair nasty nymph ..."

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That one is good. It's one of the ones I've got from the library. Somewhere around here, anyway...

Medievalist said:

Read Samuel Pepys diary.

http://www.pepys.info/

A blogger is posting entries here:

http://www.pepysdiary.com/

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Pepys' diary generally is too late for my purposes, as it only covers 1660 onwards. I have the complete thing somewhere (Nice little copy with illustrations) that I would recommend for anyone who's interested in the latter half of the century.

donroc said:

Anything on the Great Plague and London Fire of the 1660s.

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Are you looking for books on this? If so, there is a good on on the Great Fire of London; http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0712668470/?tag=absolutewrite-21 Found it by sheer accident one day in Waterstone's but it's great for little details and such.

Again though, being in 1665-6, the Fire and Plague stuff is generally too late for my purposes.

waylander said:

A delightful read - Hobberdy Dick by KM Briggs
Set in rural Oxfordshire just after the Civil War (1652)

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Thanks Waylander, will check that one out!

IceCreamEmpress said:

Does your library have access to Early English Books Online? There are a lot of housekeeping manuals, cookbooks, herbaria, land-agents' manuals, etiquette books, etc., from that era among the collection.

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It's one of my favourite sites. I have a load of that sort of thing downloaded, including some really good lists of recipes, but I'm still looking for books as well, especially with good illustrations.

pdr said:

Even my small village library in NZ stocks the entire 'A day in the Life of...' series. And all the Usbourne reference books. No wonder my British friends are complaining about terrible cuts to library services.

I am amazed that your 17thC Cun. Wil. costume book does not have colour plates and line drawings. Mine is lavishly illustrated. I can suggest the Osprey publications which have fine coloured drawings.

Have you tried looking for the 'Day in the Life...' series?

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I have a load of the Osprey ones ordered. Finally managed to track down where they were listed on Amazon. (Though why, in the category 'History > English Civil War' are there dozens of books on 1960s buses?) I went looking for the books you mentioned and discovered how to get it to just browse the category from there.

The only 'Day in the Life' ones I could find said they were about various jobs in 'Colonial America' - are those the ones you mean?

As for the costume book, mine has a few line drawings but not very many. It doesn't have colour plates at all. I'm wondering if some previous borrower has made off with some of the pages, as the copy is rather battered. I'll have to have a look at the numbering.

pdr said:

is for children. It is British. It's 'A Day in the Life of a Stewart'
the Usbourne series is also British.
'The Usbourne Guide to Stewart England'

I had a quick flick through my favourite book shops. They have an emormous number of illustrated books. I noted the Kingfisher series and the discovery series.

Someone has snabbled your CW book's colour plates! My edition has good colour plates and excellent line drawings. I have all their books for every century and they all have colour plates and drawings.

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Thanks. I'll have another go at finding those. I tried 'A Day in the Life' in the search and got 500 odd results but not those. If it's a British series, I'll probably try the American Amazon, as that's how it typically works out! We used to have one of the parents at mum's school sold Usborne books, just a shame she doesn't come round any more, but I'll have a hunt online for them too.

And yes, someone's been at that book. Having looked at it again, there are page numbers missing! Good thing is I've told the library and they're going to have a look for another copy.

Evaine said:

Have you tried looking for the Sealed Knot or the English Civil War Society online? As well as the battles, they tend to do a lot of living history, and can be very knowledgeable about costume and practical details.

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I'm a supporting member, just getting the newsletter at the moment as there aren't any groups near to me that are involved much in anything, and Scotland very rarely has any re-enactments or events unfortunately.

pdr said:

Jess, at the top of this board, there is the web site url for the Sealed Knott who have some interesting if not always impartial or wholly accurate articles.

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Yes, I have the majority of their archive pieces downloaded (for ease of searching for specific terms). I pay really just to get the circulars and news etc from them since it wasn't really feasible to join in the re-enactments. The nearest group is in Falkirk or something.