Women’s Worlds in Seventeenth-Century England: A Sourcebook

This volume presents a collection of source materials on women’s lives in 16th and 17th century England. The book introduces a diverse group of women and a series of voices that have rarely been heard in history, from Deborah Brackley, a poor Devon servant, to Katharine Whitstone, Oliver Cromwell’s sister, and Queen Anne. Drawing on archival materials, the text explores the everyday lives of ordinary early modern women, including their: experiences of work, sex, marriage and motherhood; beliefs and spirituality; political activities; relationships; and mental worlds. In a time when few women could write, the book seeks to reveal the multitude of ways in which their voices and experiences leave traces in the written record, and deepen and challenge our understanding of women’s lives in the past.