Reading "wrecks of history" and the Harley family narrative

During the English civil wars, many elite families faced the destruction of the buildings, monuments, and movables that had served for centuries as testaments to their social standing. The Harleys of Brampton Bryan in Herefordshire faced just this situation after their estate was demolished during a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Seventeenth century 2017-04, Vol.32 (2), p.139-159
Main Author: Heller, Jennifer
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
17th century
Brampton Bryan
English Civil War
English civil wars
Families & family life
family history
Harley
material culture
Socioeconomic factors
Citations: Items that this one cites
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Summary:During the English civil wars, many elite families faced the destruction of the buildings, monuments, and movables that had served for centuries as testaments to their social standing. The Harleys of Brampton Bryan in Herefordshire faced just this situation after their estate was demolished during a Royalist siege in 1644. While the family had ample cause to lament, this study reveals that destruction could also be framed as a generative force. In this framework, the broken artefact works in multiple ways, recalling the intact pre-war family while simultaneously attesting to its suffering and sacrifice. As the Harleys and those close to them wrote about loss and destruction, they evoke the family's ancient prestige and re-frame loss in a way that lays the groundwork for local reconciliation and the success of the Harley line. Out of the ruins of their lives, the Harleys are re-created as a godly, genteel family.
ISSN:0268-117X
2050-4616
DOI:10.1080/0268117X.2017.1287590