Account of an Elizabethan Family: Volume 55: The Willoughbys of Wollaton by Cassandra Willoughby, 1670-1735

The Account of the Willoughbys of Wollaton by Cassandra Willoughby provides a unique insight into 16th-century family dynamics,gentry culture,and court connections,particularly focusing on the women of the family. It offers a comprehensive understanding of women's status,hospitality,relations with servants,social hierarchy,and interactions with the royal court.

Format: Hardback
Length: 296 pages
Publication date: 28 February 2019
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Cassandra Willoughby's Account of the Willoughbys of Wollaton is a remarkable portrayal of family, kinship, regional, and national dynamics during the Tudor and early Stuart periods. Drawing upon letters and papers discovered in the family library, her Account primarily revolves around the women of the family. In terms of its depth of understanding of sixteenth-century family dynamics, gentry culture, and court connections, no other collection of letters and account books comes close to this account. One of the most intriguing aspects of the story is Elizabeth Willoughby's public defiance of her husband, Francis Willoughby, leading to a ten-year separation. This separation resulted in the tragic death of a young son and prompted appeals to Queen Elizabeth. Through this account, we gain a profound insight into the status of women, hospitality, relationships with servants, the social hierarchy, interactions with the royal court, education, religious concerns, household management, marriage negotiations, love affairs, literacy, inheritance struggles, interpersonal behavior, and a wide range of other topics.

Weight: 528g
Dimension: 226 x 146 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781108492515