Why should one study urban history? Were towns the precipitating element for change in the human way of life? By examining in turn various aspects of urban history in the period 1500-1700 this book attempts to examine recent historical ideas about towns in Britain. Was the urban system in Britain a relative failure or a comparative success? What changes took place in the level of urbanization in Britain? What were the dynamics of change? What explains the appearance of new towns and the decline of once flourishing settlements? Was the growing size of some towns fuelled by new or considerably...