Ageing and Loneliness in England, c. 1500-1800

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the responses of older people to loneliness in England, c.1500-1800. It is written on the premise that the conditions for loneliness existed in this period, and were experienced by some in old age. Yet because people in the early modern period understood that loneliness might bring negative consequences for mental, physical and material wellbeing, the elderly, either consciously or unconsciously, took steps to avoid loneliness. Beginning with an examination of the lives of the elderly poor, and then moving to consider the experiences of the middling sort and elite, we explore the economic, social and cultural practices that countered the threat of loneliness. The proposition is presented that many older people had a place in their families and communities, which meant that they remained socially integrated and valuable. Though individual experiences varied, a positive view of old age, as a time of opportunity, fulfilment, and creativity, was shared by many people in the early modern period.