Accidentally killed by a cart:Workplace, hazard, and risk in late seventeenth century London

Abstract

Abstract This article considers some of the interrelated characteristics of work, working environment and hazard, within the setting of the early modern city. Taking London as its example, some of the problems associated with the definition of work, and importantly work‐place, in the pre‐industrial economy are reviewed. Through an analysis of the frequency and patterns of sudden death in accidental and work‐related contexts, the range of hazards to which the inhabitants of London were exposed are described, and an assessment is made of the level of risk attached to certain occupational activities.