English Regional Studies from Aubrey to Defoe

Abstract

During last two or three decades of sixteenth century, historical study in England experienced a renaissance, and in this regional writers played an active part. Local feeling was strong, and my country had much same meaning that mon pays still has in France. The importance of Camden's * Britannia' (1586) is well known, for it led chorographers in their work of describing a region and its people. William Lambard, on other hand, whose Terambulation of Kent' (1576) was first history of a single county, is generally overlooked. Even so, it was Lambard who saw difficulties which would face one man should he try to extend county description to whole country. He realized that the Inwards of each place are best known by those who live there, and wished some one able man in each Shire would describe own In fact, English regional study before 1640 was dominated by response, not always deliberate, to Lam? bard's argument. For instance, chorographers were singularly active in South Wales and West Country. A clear geographical outline of Glamorgan in its Vale and upland regions was drawn by Rice Merrick (1578), while in Pembrokeshire very little escaped sharp eye of George Owen; his * Description of Penbrokshire' (1603) is an unfailing source for historical geography of that county.1 The best-known description, however, was written on other side of Bristol Channel?Richard Carew's * Survey of Cornwall' (1602), which (according to its latest editor) is one of minor classics of our language.2 Close at hand in Devon, one of first concise regional divisions of an English county was made by Tristram Risdon,3 while Somerset also had its author. Thomas Gerard's description was written in late 1620's, at same time as his * Survey of Dorsetshire.'4 Neither was this simply a series of county studies. John Smyth's account of hundred of Berkeley in Gloucestershire embraced Vale of Berkeley along Severn and part of southern Cotswolds.5 His outline of its natural divisions?three steps or degrees ?showed a good understanding of regional values, based on long residence and practical knowledge. Chorographies such as these were essence of regional study in early seventeenth century. Although there is much in them to interest geographers, they were primarily histories of property, landowners or institutions. An attempt is made in this paper to show that regional studies became more realistic in second half of century, mainly as a result of newly-founded Royal Society's interest in natural history. It also tries to bridge gap in regional geography that seems to separate Camden and his fellow chorographers from William Marshall and Board of Agriculture reporters in 1790's. Besides his fame as a field archaeologist, John Aubrey (1626-97) deserves credit for being one of first to describe regional response to soil conditions. In studying his native Wiltshire he ignored conventions followed by generations of chorographers, and became first natural historian of an English county. Aubrey began in 1656 while living at Broad Chalke in Ebble valley, and although Britten's edition of his work is far from complete, there is enough to sketch Aubrey's 21