British clubs and societies 1580-1800
Subtitle: the origins of an associational world
By: Peter Clark.
Series: Oxford studies in social history
Publisher: Clarendon Press
Published: 2000
Place of publication: Oxford
Language: eng
Number of pages: 516
Subjects: Men -- Great Britain -- Societies and clubs.; Great Britain -- Social life and customs.
Description: "Modern freemasonry was invented in London about 1717, but was only one of a surge of British associations in the early modern era." "Providing the first account of the rise of this powerful and distinctive British social institution up to 1800, Peter Clark maps its penetration of the English-speaking world as it came to be exported to the Empire and across to North America. The wider economic, social, and political forces are discussed to show how they contributed to the development and growth of these clubs and societies, leading them to assume quasi-governmental functions, thereby playing a crucial role which affected relations between state, locality, and the citizen. A final chapter questions current views about voluntarism and the making of civil society, bringing the debate up to the present day."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes index.