Books by R. B. (University of Cambridge) Outhwaite

This concise survey for students examines the consequences of periods of dearth in England, in the years between 1550 and 1800. It reviews the enormous volume of literature that has been generated on the subject, explaining connections between serious harvest failure and a marked increase in rioting, and examines government responses to this.

The first history of ecclesiastical jurisdiction in England that covers the period up to the removal of principal subjects inherited from the Middle Ages. Probate, marriage and divorce, tithes, defamation, and disciplinary prosecutions involving the laity are all covered. All disappeared from the church's courts during the mid-nineteenth century, and were taken over by the royal courts. The book traces the steps and reasons - large and small - by which this occurred.