Gardens and Gardening in Early Modern England and Wales

The extravagant gardens of the 16th- and 17th-century British aristocracy are well-documented and celebrated, but the more modest gardens of the rural county gentry have rarely been examined. Jill Francis presents new, never-before published material as well as fresh interpretations of previously examined sources to reveal gardening as a practical activity in which a broad spectrum of society was engaged – from the laborers who dug, manured, and weeded, to the gentleman owners who sought to create gardens that both exemplified their personal tastes and displayed their wealth and status. Enhanced by beautiful and compelling illustrations, this book contributes to a broader understanding of early modern society and its culture by situating the activity of gardening within the wider social and cultural concerns of the age, reflecting the anxieties, hopes, and aspirations of people at the time.

Gradinile extravagante ale aristocratiei britanice din secolele al XVI-lea si al XVII-lea sunt bine documentate si sarbatorite, dar gradinile mai modeste din nobilimea judetului rural au fost rareori examinate. Jill Francis prezinta materiale noi, publicate pana acum, precum si interpretari noi ale surselor examinate anterior pentru a dezvalui gradinaritul ca o activitate practica in care a fost angajat un spectru larg al societatii - de la muncitorii care au sapat, au ingrasat si au imbracat, pana la domn. proprietari care au cautat sa creeze gradini care au exemplificat atat gusturile lor personale, cat si bogatia si statutul lor.