CMH Research projects
Optical glass and the scientific instrument trade in London before 1750
Scientific instrument makers depended on specialised suppliers of optical glass for microscopes, telescopes and other technical instruments.
Epidemics and mortality in the pre-industrial city: Florence and London compared
This is the first study to compare the effect of epidemic disease on two of the major cities of seventeenth-century Europe, using the outbreaks of 1630-3 in Florence and 1665 in London as case studies.
Housing environments and health in early modern London 1550-1750
This project, undertaken in partnership with Birkbeck and the University of Cambridge, builds upon the work of the ‘People in Place: families, households and housing in early modern London’ project.
Image database of the skilled workforce in early modern London
Intended as an experiment in developing and demonstrating the potential uses of image databases in university training and research, this project aimed to provide an introduction to the skilled workforce in early modern London and to encourage the use of museum artefact collections in exploring h
The growth of the skilled workforce in London, 1500-1750
During this period London's population grew tenfold, but that increase was more than matched by an expansion in the range of skills practised by its inhabitants, in both manufacturing and services.
From counting-house to office: the evolution of London's central financial district, 1690-1870
During this period London emerged as the world centre for financial, insurance, and commodity markets. The project is concerned with the impact of this development on that central area of the city where financial and insurance services were housed.
From craft to industry: London's scientific instrument makers' workshops, 1780-1820
London cases in the court of Exchequer, 1727-1841 - accessibility study
Eighteenth century legal records contain a wealth of information about London business and social history, but are little used because most of their existing indexes are to plaintiffs' names only, making a subject approach very difficult.
Metropolitan London in the 1690s
The uniquely comprehensive and detailed taxation records of these years will be used to explore the social and economic geography of London at a time when it emerged as a metropolis of world standing.
English merchant culture: the overseas trader in state and society, 1660-1720
This project studies the influence of the merchant classes on the politics and society of late-Stuart England.