Mrs. Perrin’s “Tranklements”: Community Life and Class Distinction in (Post)Industrial-Era Cheshire

Abstract

Archaeological studies have greatly enhanced our appreciation of the complex materiality that supports everyday expressions of social identity. Traditionally, this work has interpreted artefacts and architecture as physical markers of group affiliation, class aspiration, or ethnic solidarity. This chapter questions such direct material “readings” by considering the intricate family ties, kinship networks, and community relationships that choreograph daily practices of social identity. Juxtaposing images created through three very different sources (artefactual, oral historical, and documentary), the study explores the complicated intricacies of class distinction within a rural English community over the early decades of the twentieth century.