Title: An exact and industrious tradesman : the letter book of Joseph Symson of Kendal, 1711-1720 /
Authors: Symson, Joseph, 1650-1731.; Smith, S. D. 1964-
Publisher: Published for the British Academy by Oxford University Press,
Year: 2002
Subjects: Merchants England Kendal Correspondence.; Kendal (England) Social life and customs; England Economic conditions
Abstract: "The eponymous hero of this book is an old man, who lived in a small provincial town, remote from fashionable centres of polite society. Yet the letters of Joseph Symson provide a rare glimpse into the public and private life of an inland merchant who was also a member of England's urban elite. The volume reveals how Symson organised his trade and attempted to organise his family. It details his responses to the political, economic, and religious uncertainties of the early years of the eighteenth century." "Joseph Symson's letter book inhabits two worlds. The first is an insular, closely-knit society of prominent north west mercantile and ecclesiastical families - a world of connection, regional affiliation and kinship. From his home in Kendal, Symson documents aspects of Lakeland society before the advent of tourism and Wordsworth." "The volume provides a detailed account of the Symson family, and an appendix profiles some 200 correspondents, including many north west families."--BOOK JACKET.
Contents: Machine generated contents note: List of Illustrations x -- Preface xii -- Acknowledgements xiii -- Editorial Method xiv -- Introduction: 'An Exact and Industrious Tradesman': Joseph Symson -- of Kendal (1650-1731) -- The Letter Book xxi -- Who was Joseph Symson? xxv -- The Mercer of Kendal xxxvi -- Religion and Rebellion lxxvii -- Patronage and Politics Ixxxviii -- Family and Kin xcvii -- Conclusions cxxviii -- THE LETTER BOOK OF JOSEPH SYMSON (1711-1720) 1 -- Appendices -- I. Pedigree of Joseph Symson 696 -- II. Biographies of Selected Individuals Appearing in the -- Letter Book 698 -- III. Glossary of Textile and Trading Terms 735 -- IV. Kendal's Society for the Suppression of Vice (1692) 739 -- V. Last Will and Testament of Joseph Symson 743 -- Indexes -- Personal Names 749 -- Place Names 777 -- Subjects 785.