There are many different views as to how the family evolved in early modern England. Designed to stimulate interest in a fascinating and important topic, Family and Kinship in England, 1450-1800 offers an important and timely synthesis of the various arguments and provides answers to the questions they raise. While historians have made the history of family life in the past a key area of scholarly study, the diversity of methods, sources, areas of interest and conclusions this has produced, have made it one of the most difficult for readers to approach. The aim of this book is to provide a guide to understanding families in the past. It also gives a clear introduction to many of the intriguing areas of study that this field of history has opened up, including childhood, youth, marriage, sexuality and death. It provides clear signposts to how readers can pursue these and other topics. Through documents and illustrations it allows readers to begin to participate in the understanding of the history of family life which has determined the shape of own experiences of family life in the modern world.