Population, disease and family structure in early modern Hampshire, with special reference to the towns

Abstract

Despite the emergence of urban history in recent years, relatively little is known about the society of market towns. The period 1520-1670 was one of demographic change and expansion for these communities, developments which affected many aspects of social and economic life. This thesis traces the course of population increase within the small towns of Hampshire and focusses upon three of the main factors underlying this growth, namely mortality, fertility and migration. A wide variety of sources is utilised, including parish registers, taxation and probate records, and consistory court books. The market towns were a dynamic element within the demography of early modern Hampshire, growing more rapidly than either the surrounding rural parishes or the old established towns of Southampton and Winchester, and forming an increasing proportion of the population. This growth was under way in many towns by the middle of the sixteenth century and was maintained at differing rates throughout the period. The prime factor dictating the course of demographic change was mortality. Whilst most towns tended towards natural growth, with births normally exceeding deaths, the population was always vulnerable to the severe effects of disease which could rapidly erase the effects of more healthy years. Influenza, dysentery and, increasingly, typhus and smallpox, as well as plague, represented a persistent threat to population and influenced the pace and character of demographic development. At the same time, the market towns witnessed steady immigration from the countryside and developments within family structure helped to create a small increase in fertility which also contributed to the overall demographic picture.

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