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Some of the liveliest and fruitful debates in recent historical writing have been about the transition from feudalism to capitalism. Rodney Hilton's vast and distinguished body of work on medieval society has been a major reference point in these debates. Throughout his work the dominant theme has been has been his argument that the 'prime mover' in the development of medieval society was the conflict between landlords and peasants over the appropriation of the peasants' surplus product. This is the class conflict that gives the present volume its title.

The wide ranging collection, updated to include some of Hilton's most recent writings, explores not only the peasant economy and peasant movements but also the nature of towns and their principal classes. Essays include a fascinating study of women traders in medieval England, and an account of medieval tax revolts — all informed by his lucid, undogmatic attention to broad theoretical issues as well as empirical detail. This is a book not only for historians, but for anyone interested in the evolution of capitalism or the larger questions of historical process and social change.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1 Feudalism in Europe: Problems for Historical Materialists

2 Unjust Taxation and Popular Resistance — Marxist Theory and Practice on a Historical Problem

3 Small Town Society in England Before the Black Death

4 Medieval Peasants: Any Lessons?

5 Peasant Movements in England Before 1381

6 Reasons for Inequality Among Medieval Peasants

7 Popular Movements in England at the End of the Fourteenth Century

8 Some Problems of Urban Real Property in the Middle Ages

9 Towns in English Feudal Society

10 The Small Town and Urbanisation — Evesham in the Middle Ages

11 Lords, Burgesses and Hucksters

12 Women Traders in Medieval England

13 Social Concepts in the English Rising of 1381

14 Feudalism or Feodalité and Seigneurie in France and England

15 Was there a General Crisis of Feudalism?

16 Ideology and Social Order in Late Medieval England

17 Some Social and Economic Evidence in Late Medieval English Tax Returns

18 Capitalism — What's in a Name?

19 Feudalism and the Origins of Capitalism

Notes

Index

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On three successive mornings in February 1652, God spoke to a London tailor by the name of John Reeve. Consequently he and his cousin Lodowicke Muggleton believed that they were the Last Two Witnesses prophesied in the Book of Revelation. Over the next six years the pair attracted a small but dedicated band of followers that, following the death of Reeve, became known as the Muggletonians.

In this lively and engaging history, the origins of the sect during the religious turmoil and freedoms of the 1650s are described in detail. Their unique theology, beliefs and practices are described and traced throughout the changing circumstances of the centuries. Yet the book offers much more than a history of another puritan sect, for unlike many of their contemporaries, the Muggletonians persisted until the latter years of the twentieth century. Moreover, they preserved a comprehensive archive, rescued from the Blitz by a Kent farmer who transported the papers in empty apple boxes on his way back from market. Discovered by E.P. Thompson in 1974, this archive paints a vivid picture of the Muggletonians from their earliest days until the death of their last member in 1979.

By following the history of the Muggletonians from the heady post-civil war days through to the 1970s, this work offers a unique perspective on radical Christian belief and practice, and how it adapted to the changing world around it. More than this, however, it tells the fascinating story of how a small religious group, which eschewed active proselytising and believed in the mortality of the soul, managed to overcome persecution and obscurity, to survive for 320 years.

Contents

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgements and Sources

Bibliographical Abbreviations

1 Introduction: The Archive Discovered

2 'Lodowick Muggleton Was Also Included': 1652–1658

Encounter with God

The Two Last Witnesses

Blessings, Curses, Prison and Death

3 'Great Muggleton' Declares the Truth: 1658–1661

Putting down Clarkson

Changing A Divine Looking Glass

Rewriting Revelation

4 The Prophet of Letters: 1661–1698

The 1671 Rebellion

Delamaine's 'Great Book'

Imaginary Witches

Prison, Release, Death

5 Witnesses Against the Beast: 1698–1837

Life Without a Prophet

William Blake, Benjamin Franklin and the London Muggletonians

Putting Down a False Prophet

6 The Victorian Crisis: 1837–1901

Redefining the Faith: 'Reevonians' versus 'Old Believers'

Redefining the Faith: From 'Ancient' to 'Modern' Muggletonianism

Last Curses

7 Last Days: 1901–1979

8 Conclusion: Muggletonians – the Proper Historical Context?

Bibliography

Index