Death, Religion, and the Family in England, 1480–1750

Abstract

The interest and importance of the social history of death have been increasingly recognized during the last thirty years. This book examines the effects of religious change on the English ‘way of death’ between 1480 and 1750. It discusses relatively neglected aspects of the subject, such as the deathbed, will making, and the last rites. It also examines the rich variety of commemorative media and practices and describes the development of the English funeral sermon between the late Middle Ages and the 18th century. The book shows how the need of the living to remember the dead remained important throughout the later medieval and early modern periods, even though its justification and means of expression changed.