Elizabethan England: From 'A Description of England,' by William Harrison

Key themes

Social Hierarchy and Class Structure

This is arguably the most central and pervasive theme. Harrison meticulously details the 'four sorts of people' in England – gentlemen, citizens, yeomen, and laborers – explaining the legal, economic, and social distinctions between them. He explores how each class contributes to the commonwealth, their respective privileges, responsibilities, and the rigid yet sometimes permeable boundaries that defined social mobility in Elizabethan society. The theme highlights the fundamental ordering principle of his contemporary world.

Economic Change and Disparity

Harrison observes and often critiques the significant economic transformations occurring in his time, particularly the rise of a market economy, enclosure movements, and their profound impact on different social classes. He highlights the increasing wealth of some and the growing poverty and struggle of others, lamenting the decline of traditional communal support systems and the resulting social ills like vagrancy and crime. This theme underscores the volatile nature of economic progress.

National Identity and English Pride

Despite his candid critiques of societal problems, Harrison's work is imbued with a strong sense of English national pride. He celebrates the advancements, natural resources, unique character, and governance of England, often implicitly or explicitly comparing it favorably to other nations. This theme underpins his desire to meticulously document and understand his country, viewing it as a flourishing commonwealth under divine providence and good rule.

Worth discussing

How does Harrison's categorization of English society reflect or challenge modern understandings of class and social mobility?