Centre for Policy on Ageing



Old age in English history — past experiences, present issues
Author(s)	Pat Thane
Publisher	Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2002
Pages	336 pp
Source	Oxford University Press, Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP.
Keywords	Older people ; Social characteristics [elderly] ; Histories ; England.
Annotation	Although the starting point is representations of old age in Ancient Greece and Rome, the focus is on England, as Scotland and Wales were culturally, economically and institutionally different. This book was originally published in 2000. The first part considers representations and experiences of old age in pre-modern England up to the Old Poor Law. The second part, on old age in modern England, begins with the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, and traces the campaign for and introduction of old-age pensions. It also looks at the consequences of living longer in a changing world from the 1830s to the 1930s, and the "reinvention" of old age with the welfare state. The author concludes by examining the perception of old age as a "burden" on a shrinking younger generation at the beginning of the 21st century. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-040715003 B
Classmark	B: F: 6A: 82
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.