Style and Social Competition in the Large Scale Ornamental Landscapes of the Doncaster District of South Yorkshire, c.1680-1840

This work is a contribution to the body of 'new' landscape history drawing on a range of sources from archives, such as documents and maps, from archaeological excavation and from field survey in relation to the Doncaster district of South Yorkshire (UK). Rather than a focus on well-known national examples this study follows the lead established by authors whose studies examine developments in large-scale ornamental landscapes within a distinct geographical region. By taking a regional perspective, a systematic approach to survey can be adopted which enables coverage of sites throughout the social strata of the land-owning classes. Furthermore it allows parity in terms of any vernacular idiosyncrasies in social structure, economy and geography, which a countrywide survey would not allow. Following the introduction, the second chapter sets out these landscapes and the people who created them. This is done initially on a national scale, but then becomes focussed on the regional context in which the study sites are situated. The third chapter defines the methodology and the scale of analysis by which this survey is undertaken. The survey then uses four sites of the gentry as detailed case studies to examine the development of large-scale ornamental landscapes in the period c.1680-c.1840, placing them within a local and national framework. The chapters on context and the primary survey sites are elucidated with reference to a gazetteer of 57 survey sites within the study district. By using this device, which is included as an appendix to this work, a systematic approach to the study of designed landscapes within a regional context can be adopted. Furthermore, the gazetteer is intended to provide a resource for researchers wishing to undertake further investigation into the ornamental landscapes of the Doncaster area. In the final chapter comparisons are drawn between the development of designed landscapes, in a regional context, in relation to the models provided by art historical and contextual texts on the subject.