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Accounting for lives: Autobiography and biography in the accounts of Sir Thomas Myddelton, 1642–1666

Ward Clavier, Sarah

Authors



Abstract

This article significantly adds to the literature on the value of financial accounts, demonstrating their worth as both an autobiographical and biographical source. It argues that elite accounts can be seen both as a biography of the master, and an autobiography of the servant. It demonstrates this through analysis of the remarkably detailed Chirk accounts for the period 1642–1666, and the relationship of Thomas Prichard and Sir Thomas Myddelton II. This article uncovers insights into Myddelton’s life and character while revealing Prichard’s life in detail for the first time. This article provides a new model for considering financial accounts as both family chronicle/biography, and history from below/autobiography. Examining the accounts as a self-designed mirror for Myddelton and as a way of discovering the lives of his senior servants and household, the article casts new light on early modern social relationships.

Citation

Ward Clavier, S. (2020). Accounting for lives: Autobiography and biography in the accounts of Sir Thomas Myddelton, 1642–1666. Seventeenth Century, 35(4), 453-472. https://doi.org/10.1080/0268117x.2019.1626761

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date May 30, 2019
Online Publication Date Jun 12, 2019
Publication Date Aug 1, 2020
Deposit Date Nov 21, 2019
Journal The Seventeenth Century
Print ISSN 0268-117X
Electronic ISSN 2050-4616
Publisher Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 35
Issue 4
Pages 453-472
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/0268117x.2019.1626761
Keywords Cultural Studies; History; Autobiography; Biography
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/4720854
Publisher URL https://doi.org/10.1080/0268117X.2019.1626761