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Gender and the culture of the English alehouse in late Stuart England

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Capp, B. S.. (2007) Gender and the culture of the English alehouse in late Stuart England. COLLeGIUM: Studies across Disciplines in the Humanities and Social Sciences 2., Vol.2 . pp. 103-127. ISSN 1796-2986

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Abstract

The world of the alehouse and tavern in early modern England has generally been
regarded as primarily male, a view that was deeply embedded in the period itself.
This essay explores the place of women within the public house, in serving, buying
and consuming alcohol, and the unwritten conventions that underpinned social
practice. It argues that while some female customers matched their contemporary
image, as disorderly, immoral and dishonest, it was also possible for respectable
women to visit a tavern or alehouse without risking their good name, provided they
adhered to the conventions. Middling-sort and elite women might drink and dine in
London taverns with their husbands, or in mixed parties; throughout England married
couples, and mixed groups of young folk, might drink, dance, and socialise; marketwomen
might assemble at the end of the day, and chapwomen often lodged overnight.
And, at least in London, respectable women might enter a public house alone, by
day, without meeting disapproval. Many establishments provided private as well as
public rooms, and these created social spaces for female customers, couples and
mixed parties, serving different needs than those met within the main public space.

Item Type:

Journal Article

Subjects:

H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman
H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform
D History General and Old World > DA Great Britain

Divisions:

Faculty of Arts > History

Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):

Bars (Drinking establishments) -- Great Britain, Women -- Alcohol use, Great Britain -- History -- 17th Century

Journal or Publication Title:

COLLeGIUM: Studies across Disciplines in the Humanities and Social Sciences 2.

Publisher:

Collegium

ISSN:

1796-2986

Official Date:

2007

Dates:

Date	Event
2007	Published

Volume:

Vol.2

Page Range:

pp. 103-127

Status:

Peer Reviewed

Access rights to Published version:

Open Access

Description:

Version accepted by publisher (post-print, after peer review, before copy-editing).

Version or Related Resource:

Korhonen, A. and Lowe, K. (eds.) (2007) The trouble with ribs : women, men and gender in Early Modern Europe. COLLeGIUM: Women, Men and Gender in Early Modern Europe Studies across Disciplines in the Humanities and Social Sciences 2. Helsinki: Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies.

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