Avebury without the Stones: a Social History c.1550-1800

Avebury is a village in Wiltshire at the heart of the Marlborough Downs. In Avebury the prehistoric stone circle, together with the manor house, receive most of the attention. But what about the history of the ordinary people of the parish? Their story is just as interesting, but is rarely mentioned and little studied. This book sets out to tell their stories: the story of the local gentry and yeomen, the schoolmasters, the carpenters, the masons, the agricultural labourers, the poor. It paints a lively picture of Avebury in the early modern period - its government, its landowners and tenants, its agriculture, its occupations, its living conditions, its religion. It demonstrates that there is much more to Avebury than just its archaeology.