Professor of Modern British History and President of the Royal Historical Society
University of East Anglia
Research expertise
British social and economic history of the 18th and 19th centuries, in particular the industrial revolution, its social consequences and impact upon women.
Contributions
Practices
Foxhunting
Hunting had been the foremost recreation of British kings, nobles and elites since the middle ages, but the hunting of the fox had traditionally been held in low esteem. Foxes were vermin and so lacked the status that had made hunting a noble pursuit for centuries. In contrast to other coveted quarry – deer, boar, pheasant, partridge, and hare – the fox’s flesh is unpalatable and inedible; and unlike other animals of prey, the fox poses no danger to human life.