Early modern women’s lives can be quite elusive. Whilst some notable examples are known from their autobiographies, biographies or literary works or from the lives of their men, ‘ordinary’ women are often absent from the narrative. However, looking at everyday documents such as letters, account books and wills can reveal a surprising amount about the lives of women from all ranks and locations. This talk will focus on the lives of two women from opposite ends of the social scale and will demonstrate how looking at seemingly functional documents can illuminate them and bring them to life.

The speakers:

Dr Sarah-Jayne Ainsworth’s doctoral research looked at the wills written by women in the south-west of England during the period 1625-1660. Whist women were constrained by the law and by custom, single women, widows and even some wives made wills, leaving property, business affairs and personal items to family and friends. Through a study of these documents she considered how the women sought to fashion themselves, giving and omitting information so as to present a particular picture. Sarah-Jayne is also interested in how wills can be thought of a form of literary work and has recently been working on the experiences of women during the civil wars.

Dr Imogene Dudley’s doctoral thesis investigated the working lives of female servants and labourers in seventeenth century England, and used household account books and parish registers to explore the effect of marriage, motherhood and age on women's working patterns. Imogene is also a graduate of the University of Oxford and Swansea University. Her other historic interests cover England in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, particularly the Wars of the Roses and the early Tudor period, and she has published on the reputation of Margaret of Anjou in historiography and historical fiction. Her biography of the Princesses of the House of York is due to be released by Amberley Publishing in 2023. Imogene currently works at the University of Exeter and volunteers in her spare time as a Trustee of the Devon and Exeter Institute, a historic library and museum at the heart of the city.

There will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end of the talks. 

This webinar is free to BALH members.

Special offer: Is your local history society a BALH member? Enter your society's discount code for the reduced rate of £3.

The talks start at 7:00 prompt, with the webinar open from 6:50pm.