Hospitality in Early Modern England

This is the first full-length study of the ideal and practice of hospitality in England between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries. In early modern England, hospitality was regarded as a vital social virtue, comparable in significance to the maintenance of honesty or the proper pursuit of honor. Heal's careful study examines the ways in which this notion changed between 1400 and 1700, and demonstrates the significance of the forms and rituals attached to it. Her comprehensive analysis takes into account different social levels and various settings, providing a major contribution to our understanding of society and culture in early modern England.