The town of Loughborough: an urban entity within a rural setting. A Town in its Parish considers the development of this small, non-incorporated Leicestershire town within its economic, social and political context. It is a thematic contribution to the wider historiography of the small town punctuated with rich archival detail. It will be of interest to the urban historian, the local historian and to those studying the history of Leicestershire specifically. It has been written both for the academic and for the general public, reflected in its free availability online. A paper copy is available to academics upon request from the author.
Contemporary Loughborough existed below regional capitals and county boroughs in the urban hierarchy. By the sixteenth century, its size and population were second only to the county town of Leicester, an interesting point to make given the wider debate of urban decline and recovery during this period. Loughborough's geographical position is presented as an essential element of its early development; records of trespass reveal that the town had ecological rather than political or institutional boundaries. Its position was essential for its success as a market town, being situated at the convergence of three major economic regions. The use of the natural environment and the management of the problems associated with it were integral to Loughborough's expansion and survival. Its position within the Soar Valley dissected its urban interior and introduced a series of concerns to this arguably beneficial setting. Successful water management was crucial for the health of the local economy; flooding posed a serious risk to meadow rents and, consequently, to the land market. Maintenance of Loughborough's many bridges, for example, was crucial for the facilitation of communication and trade. A diagnosis of the local political culture considers the conflict of interests between the administration of both parish and town in Loughborough. The individual agendas and wider, varied administrative responsibilities of those involved in its development and subsistence was a mixture of both urban and rural; these unincorporated, smaller entities did not have corporate organization, creating the potential for local rivalry.
A number of different employment opportunities – both urban and rural – are assessed to reveal the working conditions of a pre-industrial world. Brewers, butchers, clothiers, those employed in public works, smiths, ironmongers, specialized traders and casual workers are a selection of examples. The rural element of Loughborough's occupations was visible but not entirely dominant. Higher status, learned occupations, summarized here as those involved in medical, legal and educational concerns, were indicative of an urban status. Loughborough's urban centre had a greater density than other local towns due to its rapid expansion; the working practices of its residents placed it above small market towns but below incorporated boroughs. At the top of the social hierarchy appear individual tenants from families with a monopoly of parish offices. The lives and mortality of Loughborough's inhabitants were affected undeniably by rural seasonality, economic trends and intermittent epidemic diseases. The data does not conform entirely to the national and regional demography elsewhere; a period of major mortality (1609–11) is highlighted as having a serious impact on the population. Nonetheless, a relatively steady increase in population in the sixteenth century is traceable. The topography of Loughborough appears to have lent itself to comparatively sparse living conditions, thus avoiding the associated problems such as the spread of infection and incidents of trespass found elsewhere. Evidence for financial and moral wellbeing is examined through the availability of poor relief and in the population's level of debt. Neighbourly concerns, e.g. collections for the poor, are argued to have emerged due to the lack of influence from a corporate authority. The fluidity of socio-economic relationships between creditors and debtors is reflected in the intense localization of these interactions, where debt exceeded accusations of trespass.
A brief conclusion by the author posits Loughborough as a hybrid town subject to the influence of both urban and rural. It is argued that this separateness became more apparent in the early modern parish, where the increase of land-less occupations created further distinction. The presence of a rural social elite within an urban context ensured the dominance and survival of the rural despite this contemporary urban expansion. Unfortunately, public access to this study, whilst commendable, is achieved at the expense of a bibliography, index and list of chapters, figures and tables due to budget constraints. Sources are well referenced throughout, however. The primary material is integral to the success of this study but can be rather dense at times, especially for those less familiar with archival research. There is also a tendency to focus more on the early modern period but this is largely due to the availability of source material. Nevertheless, a number of different approaches permit an effective, in-depth study which will prove to be of equal interest to those in the academic and public spheres alike.
