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Narratives of Bankruptcy, Failure, and Decline in the Court of Chancery, 1678-1750

Collins

Narratives of Bankruptcy, Failure, and Decline in the Court of Chancery, 1678-1750 Thumbnail


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Collins



Abstract

This article engages with the contentious and ongoing debate surrounding the usefulness of witness testimony for historical evidence. By utilising Chancery depositions, the article illuminates social and cultural attitudes to bankruptcy, failure, and personal decline, demonstrating how the public nature of status and reputation dictated a person’s ability to function – both economically and socially – within the wider community. Focusing on the collaborative nature of witness testimony will show that the court of Chancery not only acted as a debt-recovery mechanism. It was also an institution which inflected social narratives of credit, debt, and personal failure.

Acceptance Date Feb 4, 2022
Publication Date Jan 1, 2022
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Cultural and Social History
Print ISSN 1478-0038
Publisher Routledge
Pages 1 - 17
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/14780038.2022.2031425
Keywords Bankruptcy; Chancery; depositions; narrative; debt
Publisher URL https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14780038.2022.2031425

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