This is a unique re-creation of the patterns of village life over three centuries, during the transformation of the village of Stoneleigh from a medieval to a modern community. The earliest sources reveal basic medieval living conditions which were transformed through a Great Rebuilding. Further important changes took place during the 17th and 18th centuries and these are examined from the poorest cottagers to the well-to-do gentlemen. The book includes probate inventories and architectural descriptions. It provides a full picture of the vernacular buildings in the area, set within the context of the society that created them.