Preface and acknowledgements; 1. Introduction - belonging and local attachment; 2. The culture of local xenophobia; 3. Settlement, parochial belonging and entitlement; 4. Rural societies and their marriage patterns; 5. 'A cruel kindness': parish out-door relief, and the new poor law; 6. Nailed to the church door? Parish overseers and the new poor law; 7. Three centuries of new parishes; 8. `Of this parish': gravestones, belonging and local attachment; 9. Conclusion - belonging, parish and community; Select bibliography.