Dr Ellen Paterson
My research focuses on the intersection between politics and economics at the turn of the seventeenth century in England. In particular, my research interests lie in the role played by economic issues in popular political culture. My first book, Bloodsuckers of the Commonwealth, examines the practice of anti-monopoly petitioning activity in early modern England between 1590-1625. It explores the ways in which the rise of patents of monopoly and corporate charters triggered petitioning action by a range of subjects below the level of the elite, with a particular focus on the activity of London's livery companies.
Research Interests
My current research is focused on the impacts of new economic institutions and agents of the state on non-elite subjects, exploring the ways in which the state's encroachment on lives triggered politicisation in a period of vast economic change. This includes research into the economic debates surrounding James's proposed Union with Scotland, and the colonial ventures of the early Stuarts.
