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Gill Newton MA MSc

Research Associate

Early Modern London, historical demography, family reconstitution, 19th century occupational structure.

Historical computing, data modelling, databases, record linkage, name matching algorithms.

Biography

Career

• October 2003-present: Cambridge Group for the History of Population and Social Structure

Qualifications

• 2005 MSc Computer science, Anglia Ruskin University
  Dissertation: Creating a customisable name matching algorithm for historical computing by refactoring (abstract)
• 2003 MA English, Cambridge University
• 1999 BA English, Cambridge University

Research

I am interested in the demography and family structure of 16th, 17th and 18th century London at a microgeographical level. My work is underpinned by nominal record linkage and the methodology of family reconstitution. I am currently working on reconstituting families from parish baptism, burial and marriage registers in the eastern London suburb of Aldgate. With Richard Smith, I am investigating patterns of mortality, nuptiality and occupational or status change at a local level in this rapidly growing and highly urbanised part of the metropolis. This is part of the ESRC-funded research project Life in the Suburbs of Early Modern London and continues our previous research on other sample areas in London c1550-1750. See also http://www.history.ac.uk/cmh/pip/, http://www.hpss.geog.cam.ac.uk/research/projects/reconstitutingfamilies/ and www.geog.cam.ac.uk/research/projects/heahlondon/.

Since November 2006 I have also been working 'behind the scenes' on databases for analysing 19th century and earlier occupational structure in consistent spatial units, including the c26 million records of the 1881 Census. This is part of a project on the occupational structure of Britain.

Publications

• 'Family reconstitution in an urban context: some observations and methods' (draft), working paper to be published in a forthcoming Centre for Metropolitan History volume
• 2011: 'Recent developments in making family reconstitutions', Local Population Studies, 87, 84-89
• 2011: 'Infant mortality variations, feeding practices and social status in London between 1550 and 1750', Social History of Medicine, 24:2, 244-259 (doi: 10.1093/shm/hkq042)
• 2008: People in place: Families, households and housing in Early Modern London, Centre for Metropolitan History, London, 2008 (with Vanessa Harding et al)
• 'Marriage à la mode: parochial and irregular marriage among the inhabitants of Clerkenwell from 1550-1753', to be submitted to The London Journal (Abstract)
• 'Residence and vital registration in late 17th and early 18th century Cheapside, London: a comparison between a family reconstitution and the Marriage Duty Act assessments and collectors' returns of 1695-1706', in draft
• with Leigh Shaw-Taylor, Peter Kitson, E.A. Wrigley, Ros Davies and Max Satchell: 'The creation of a 'census' of adult male employment for England and Wales for 1817', unpublished working paper
• with Leigh Shaw-Taylor, Peter Kitson, E.A. Wrigley, Ros Davies and Max Satchell: 'The occupational structure of England c.1710-c.1871', unpublished working paper
• with Leigh Shaw-Taylor, Peter Kitson, E.A. Wrigley, Ros Davies and Max Satchell: 'The occupational structure of England and Wales c.1817-1881', unpublished working paper

Selected conference/seminar papers

• 'Trades and handy labour: occupations in London's growing eastern suburb, 1590 to 1710', Economic History Society Conference, Cambridge, April 2011
• 'Modernisation and Mortality in London's East End from 1550 to 1700', British Society for Population Studies Conference, Exeter, September 2010
• 'Linking Londoners: data, decisions and early modern London sources', Connecting Histories: Digitization and databases in historical research, Newcastle, June 2009
• with Richard Smith: 'Rising infant mortality, social status and environment in London c. 1550-1750', Economic History Society Conference, Nottingham, March 2008
• 'Infant feeding practices, social status and mortality variations in London c. 1550-1750', Rank Symposium on the origins of infant and child nutrition, Windermere, October 2007 (joint winner of prize for young researchers) related presentation slides and abstract
• 'Assessing changes in the London family through family reconstitution: marriage, fertility and family size in suburban Clerkenwell and five City parishes, 1538-1753', European Association for Urban History conference, Stockholm, August 2006
• ' Marriage à la mode: matrimony and mobility among the inhabitants of Early Modern Clerkenwell', People, Place and Plays conference, London, October 2005 (related presentation slides and abstract)

Teaching

• Institute of Continuing Education MSt in Local and Regional History: guest lecturer