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Women and estate management in the early eighteenth century: Barbara Savile at Rufford Abbey, Nottinghamshire (1700-34)

Law, Sarah; Seymour, Susanne; Watkins, Charles

Women and estate management in the early eighteenth century:  Barbara Savile at Rufford Abbey, Nottinghamshire (1700-34) Thumbnail


Authors

Sarah Law



Abstract

There is a rich and increasing body of research pointing to the significant role elite women played in property management during the eighteenth century. In this paper we examine the contribution of an elite widow, Barbara Savile, to the management of her son Sir George Savile’s extensive landholdings in Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire from 1700 until her death in 1734. We establish that Barbara Savile had a deep understanding of estate business and was a shrewd judge of character, expertise on which both Sir George and his stewards relied. She scrutinised account books, commissioned surveys for rental reassessment, was instrumental in the negotiation of wood contracts and was closely involved in the practical management of many aspects of tree and woodland management.

Citation

Law, S., Seymour, S., & Watkins, C. (2022). Women and estate management in the early eighteenth century: Barbara Savile at Rufford Abbey, Nottinghamshire (1700-34). Rural History, 33(1), 23-39. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0956793321000133

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Mar 25, 2021
Online Publication Date Jun 22, 2021
Publication Date 2022-04
Deposit Date May 25, 2021
Publicly Available Date Jun 22, 2021
Print ISSN 0956-7933
Electronic ISSN 1474-0656
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 33
Issue 1
Pages 23-39
DOI https://doi.org/10.1017/S0956793321000133
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/5415316
Publisher URL https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/rural-history/article/abs/women-and-estate-management-in-the-early-eighteenth-century-barbara-savile-at-rufford-abbey-nottinghamshire-170034/AB28D053C4D2A9EDC495236618930DA1

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