This publication examines English women's legal rights to land and the reality and consequences of their land ownership over four centuries. More specifically, the book is about how gender shaped opportunities for and experiences of owning property, particularly for women. The focus is especially on land, residential buildings and commercial property, but livestock, common and personal property also feature. Included are the very latest qualitative and quantitative research on women's landownership.
This book covers four themes: the affective world: practical knowledge for life: politics and religion: arts, science and humanities. These themes are interwoven through the chapters, which encompass all areas of women’s lives: sexuality, emotions, health and wellbeing, educational attainment, the practical and leisured application of knowledge, skills and artistry from medicine to theology. The intellectual lives of women, through reading and writing, and their spirituality and engagement with the material world, are also explored.