The book is based on the papers presented to the Society’s conference in 2006, which marked the 350th anniversary of the publication of the Antiquities of Warwickshire.
It assesses the work of a prolific author who was the founder of Warwickshire history, and one of the key figures in the development of the local history in England. The authors debate the extent to which his work depended on other scholars, leading to the accusation that he was a ‘great plagiary’. He is depicted against the background of the civil war, and gentry society. In addition to essays about Dugdale himself, aspects of Warwickshire in the seventeenth century are considered, including aspects that did not figure prominently in the Antiquities.
Anyone interested in Dugdale, or Warwickshire in the seventeenth century, or the Civil War period, will want to read and to own this book. The authors are leading experts, so this book will be acknowledged throughout the historical world as an important landmark in the subject.