Abstract
Archaeological studies have greatly enhanced our appreciation of the complex materiality that supports everyday expressions of social identity. Traditionally, this work has interpreted artefacts and architecture as physical markers of group affiliation, class aspiration, or ethnic solidarity. This chapter questions such direct material “readings” by considering the intricate family ties, kinship networks, and community relationships that choreograph daily practices of social identity. Juxtaposing images created through three very different sources (artefactual, oral historical, and documentary), the study explores the complicated intricacies of class distinction within a rural English community over the early decades of the twentieth century.
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Acknowledgments
The Alderley Sandhills Project was funded by English Heritage through the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund. Jennie Stopford, Tony Willmott, Andrew Davison, and Kath Buxton of English Heritage provided essential support throughout the project. Paul Sorensen, landowner of the Sandhills region of Alderley Edge, allowed us access to the study site, and William Harris of Whitebarn Farm provided local assistance. Finally, Roy Barber, Molly Pitcher, Edna Younger, and Pamela and Mary Parkinson generously shared memories and photographs of life at the Hagg Cottages.
This chapter is dedicated to the memory of its co-author, Sarah Whitehead, who passed away with her daughter Amber during June 2005. An earlier version of this study was submitted as her final assessed work towards completion of her B.A. in Archaeology. Sarah was awarded a posthumous First Class Honours degree by the University of Manchester in 2005. Both she and Amber are greatly missed by everyone from the Alderley Sandhills Project.
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Whitehead, S., Casella, E.C. (2011). Mrs. Perrin’s “Tranklements”: Community Life and Class Distinction in (Post)Industrial-Era Cheshire. In: Beaudry, M., Symonds, J. (eds) Interpreting the Early Modern World. Contributions To Global Historical Archaeology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-70759-4_9
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