Preface; Introduction; 1. Agricultural seasonal unemployment, the standard of living, and women's work, 1690-1860; 2. Social relations - the decline of service; 3. Social relations - the poor law; 4. Enclosure and employment - the social consequences of enclosure; 5. The decline of apprenticeship; 6. The apprenticeship of women; 7. The family; 8. Thomas Hardy, rural Dorset, and the family; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.