In recent years, historians' interpretations of the economic history of Britain from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century have changed significantly. There is less emphasis on the idea of a cataclysmic `industrial revolution' pioneered in and confined to the northern and midland counties, with increasing amounts of attention devoted to the long-neglected economic history of the southern counties. The Economy of Kent, 1640-1914is the first authoritative survey of the topic. Subjectsconsidered include the population of Kent, its growth, mobility and distribution; agriculture; industry; transport; labour; and the importance of the sea to Kent. Its findings suggest that Kent retained its place as an important constituent of the expanding British economy throughout the period, and that, by its steady economic progress, it avoided many of the strains and stresses experienced by counties more directly touched by industrialisation, along with the painful processes of readjustment that other regions have faced more recently.
ALAN ARMSTRONG is Professor of Economic and Social History at Kent University.The contributors are: MARY DOBSON, ALAN ARMSTRONG, GORDON MINGAY, DAVID ORMROD, JAMES PRESTON, THEO BARKER, ROBIN CRAIG, JOHN WHYMAN, CHRISTOPHER CHALKLIN, TOM RICHARDSON, ALAN ARMSTRONG