Continuity and change in a patronage society: the social mobility of British autobiographers, 1600–1750

Abstract This article describes rates and modes of intergenerational social mobility among the middle sort of people, using data derived from analysis of a sample of British autobiographical texts from the period 1600–1750. It adduces evidence indicating a strong propensity for social reproduction between generations within the group, and accounts for this propensity by looking at the ways in which individuals pursued careers throughout their lifetimes. The article shows how a network of social associations comprised largely of family and effective kin was the decisive factor in making a career, and how the basic framework of this network rarely extended beyond a person's native social-cultural milieu. I conclude that because the network was so limited, there was little opportunity for significant social mobility among the middle sort in early modern Britain.