Reading “wrecks of history” and the Harley family narrative
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11492884 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jennifer Heller (Lenoir–Rhyne University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 139-159 |
| Publication date | 2017-04-03 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Seventeenth Century (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0268-117X • E-ISSN: 2050-4616 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/0268117x.2017.1287590 |
| OpenAlex | W2612832145 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 13 |
During the English civil wars, many elite families faced the destruction of the buildings, monuments, and movables that had served for centuries as testaments to their social standing. The Harleys of Brampton Bryan in Herefordshire faced just this situation after their estate was demolished during a Royalist siege in 1644. While the family had ample cause to lament, this study reveals that destruction could also be framed as a generative force. In this framework, the broken artefact works in multiple ways, recalling the intact pre-war family while simultaneously attesting to its suffering and sacrifice. As the Harleys and those close to them wrote about loss and destruction, they evoke the family’s ancient prestige and re-frame loss in a way that lays the groundwork for local reconciliation and the success of the Harley line. Out of the ruins of their lives, the Harleys are re-created as a godly, genteel family
Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Elite · Estate · Lament · Linguistics · Literature · Narrative · Political science · Politics · Prestige · Royalist · Sacrifice · Siege · Classics · Historical Art and Culture Studies · History · Irish and British Studies · Law · Literature: history, themes, analysis · Philosophy
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |