Conor Hatfield

My research focuses on the concentration of landownership in England over the long-run, looking specifically at the role of strict family settlements, inheritance patterns, and marriage strategies to better understand elite family survival. I take inspiration from scholars who attach importance to aspects of social history such as J.V. Beckett, H.J. Habakkuk, and F.M.L. Thompson, in equal measure to those specialising in the dynamics of economic inequality, namely the late A.B. Atkinson, T. Piketty, and J. Stiglitz.

Applying contemporary methodologies to the study of what once constituted a disproportionate share of national wealth (and those who owned it), appreciating the role of land within the narrative arc of long-run inequality will, I hope, contribute to an increasingly comprehensive and rapidly expanding literature.

Provisional dissertation title

• Land, Inheritance, and Elite Persistence in England, 1688–1909

Supervisors

• Professor Neil Cummins
• Professor Patrick Wallis