William Harrison: Tudor Clergyman, Historian, Topographer and Writer
William Harrison wrote his first edition of The Description of England in 1577, which has come to be known as The Description of England: The Classical Contemporary Account of Tudor Social Life. His initial work in 1577 was written as part of an introduction to Holinshed’s Chronicles and again printed in that work in 1587. Holinshed’s Chronicles were a history of Britain in 3 volumes – England, Ireland and Scotland. Wales, although having a defined border with England had been integrated with English Law, which is possibly why there was no volume for Wales.
The work provides insights into life in Tudor England and is a useful source for those researching the period.
The Description of England – Summary of the subjects included in Harrison’s book
| People | Institutions, Government & Defence | Geography, Natural Resources & History |
| Degrees of People
Physical Constitution of the British Food & Diet Apparel & Attire Languages Poor provision
|
Church
Universities Government Shires & counties Punishment Time Navy Armour & munitions
|
Waters
Woods & Marshes Baths & Hot Wells Precious stones Metals Minerals Quarries Air, soil & commodities Roads Rivers Salt Saffron Antiquities found
|
| Animals | Buildings & Land | Economy |
| Cattle
Wild & tame fowls Fish Savage beasts & vermin Hawks & ravenous fowls Venomous beasts English dogs
|
Cities & towns
Buildings & furniture Palaces Gardens & orchards Castles Parks & warrens Inns & thoroughfares
|
Weights & Measures
Coins Fairs & markets
|
For more information listen to the podcast from Exploring Building History on William Harrison. It is published on the following platforms:
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To view the podcast transcript please look on the downloads page of Exploring Building History.
Source
Harrison, William, The Description of England: The Classic Contemporary Account of Tudor Life, ed. Georges Edelen (Washington & New York: The Folger Shakespeare Library & Dover Publications, 2015)