Nigel Goose

University of Hertfordshire, History, Faculty Member

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Nigel Goose is Emeritus Professor of Social and Economic History and former founder and Director of the Centre for Regional and Local History at the University of Hertfordshire. He researches and publishes in the fields of early modern and nineteenth-century English social, economic, urban, demographic and local history.

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HOW ACCURATELY DO THE HEARTH TAX RETURNS REFLECT WEALTH? A DISCUSSION OF SOME URBAN EVIDENCE

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Almshouses in England and the Dutch Republic circa 1350-1800: A Comparative Perspective

Journal of Social History, 2012

This paper aims to begin to fill an unfortunate gap in the literature on social welfare in Europe... more This paper aims to begin to fill an unfortunate gap in the literature on social welfare in Europe by focusing upon English and Dutch almshouses between the later Middle Ages and the nineteenth century, adopting a comparative perspective. Historians of European social welfare have repeatedly emphasised the unique nature of the English poor law system by the seventeenth century, with

Urban demography in pre-industrial England: what is to be done

Urban History, 1994

For over thirty years demography has featured prominently on the urban history agenda. As long ag... more

Household size and structure in early‐Stuart Cambridge

Social History, 1980

Since the publication of Laslett's seminal article in I969, relatively little progress has b... more Since the publication of Laslett's seminal article in I969, relatively little progress has been made in the study of household structure in pre-industrial England.' In this article Laslett presented the statistical findings of an analysis of Ioo com-munities over a period of 300 years. No ...

The rise and decline of philanthropy in early modern Colchester: the unacceptable face of mercantilism

Social History, 2006

Page 1. 1 Nigel Goose The rise and decline of philanthropy in early-modern Colchester: the unacce... more

The ‘Dutch’ in Colchester: The economic influence of an immigrant community in the sixteenth and seventeeth centuries

Immigrants & Minorities, 1982

In this paper the immigration of ‘Dutchmen’ into England is firstly placed within the context of ... more In this paper the immigration of ‘Dutchmen’ into England is firstly placed within the context of immigration into this country in general, with particular reference to the movement of people in the sixteenth and seventeeth centuries. The growth of the community in Colchester is described briefly, as is the economy and standing of the town itself, with particular reference to the decline of its staple textile manufacture in the sixteenth century. The position of the Dutch in the town, and the transformation and revival of cloth production which resulted from their arrival, are examined, as are both popular and official attitudes towards them. Finally, an attempt is made to assess the extent of the Dutch contribution to the economic and social well‐being of the town by an examination of developments within the English textile industry in general in this period.

How Saucy did it Make the Poor? The Straw Plait and Hat Trades, Illegitimate Fertility and the Family in Nineteenth-Century Hertfordshire

History, 2006

The straw plait and hat industry provided considerable employment for women and children in south... more The straw plait and hat industry provided considerable employment for women and children in south and west Hertfordshire in the nineteenth century, but was absent in much of the north and east. Many contemporaries felt it had a deleterious effect upon morality and the stability of the family, and its regional specificity within Hertfordshire allows these propositions to be tested through a comparative analysis of illegitimacy and examination of the family circumstances of young straw workers. It is discovered that illegitimacy ratios often give a misleading impression, failing to take into account the size of the population 'at risk', while illegitimacy rates suggest only minor differences between straw and non-straw areas, a more noticeable feature of the data being the generally higher illegitimacy rates found in Hertfordshire's small towns. Nor does the evidence suggest that the industry led to early break up of families. The rise and decline of illegitimacy in England between the late eighteenth and late nineteenth centuries presents a continuing conundrum, and while the growth and decay of the straw industry offers little explanatory value, this article suggests that the changing conditions in the agricultural labour market may have more relevance to counties such as Hertfordshire.

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English pre-industrial urban economies

Urban History, 1982

In an attempt to define how pre-industrial towns are differentiated from their counterparts in in... more

Cottage industry, migration, and marriage in nineteenth-century England

Economic History Review, 2008

There has been considerable debate concerning the impact of the industrial employment of women up... more There has been considerable debate concerning the impact of the industrial employment of women upon their demographic behaviour in nineteenth-century England. This article assesses the impact of employment in the cottage industry of straw plait and hat making in the county of Hertfordshire, comparing and contrasting districts where the industry was prominent with those where it was not. It is discovered that in 1851 the availability of straw industry employment encouraged earlier marriage, most notably in those parishes where the industry was particularly heavily concentrated, although overall levels of nuptiality and proportions ultimately marrying were similar in straw and non-straw areas alike. By 1871, however, the skewed sex ratio that such employment produced among young adults served to offset this positive effect. As the industry waned in the later nineteenth century, the experience of different regions of the county converged, while throughout the period the data suggest that urban/rural contrasts and the suburbanization of London produced more stark contrasts in female marriage patterns than did the availability of cottage industry employment.

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Poverty, old age and gender in nineteenth-century England: the case of Hertfordshire

Continuity and Change, 2006

This article examines the relative incidence of poverty among the elderly in nineteenth-century H... more This article examines the relative incidence of poverty among the elderly in nineteenth-century Hertfordshire with special reference to gender. Both national and local sources are employed to highlight the particular difficulties experienced by the elderly, male poor under the New Poor Law, and the short and long term problems they faced as a result of seasonal unemployment and an overstocked labour market. For elderly women, the extent to which their poverty was relieved by employment in cottage industry, almshouse accommodation, the continuing receipt of out-relief and a higher incidence of family support are examined to provide an assessment of the manner in which poverty was gendered in the nineteenth century.

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Nigel Goose

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