How did the standard of living change among the poor: The example of the small peasantry of the Girona region (1750-1800)

By Rosa Congost, Eulàlia Esteve, Albert Serramontmany
English

Current historiographical debate on social inequality and, more specifically, on the so-called “industrious revolution,” has prompted research into how the standard of living evolved among the poor, still a lively issue in social and economic history. This study argues for the validity of the regional approach and the need to seek out appropriate sources for each specific case. It provides evidence that standards of living improved among the social group referred to as treballadors (literally, “workers”) in the Girona region, in north-eastern Spain. This study is based on cross-referenced data from two notarial sources (marriage contracts and post-mortem inventories), as well as the direct testimony of an Empordà peasant, Sebastià Casanovas, during the second half of the eighteenth century.

Keywords

  • Catalonia
  • 18th century
  • poor social groups
  • standard of living
  • marriage contracts
  • post-mortem inventories