Abstract
Throughout the eighteenth century, bankruptcy procedure in England was restricted to merchants or traders who made their living through buying and selling. This article analyses two cases in Chancery in order to highlight how witnesses from the trading community engaged with statutes, legal distinctions, and each other, within the court. Undertaking a social analysis of bankruptcy and the trading distinction can illuminate contemporary perceptions of trade, as those involved in a legal dispute sought to clarify vague definitions surrounding buying and selling in relation to the expansion of the economy, and the utilisation of credit in wider society
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 65–82 |
| Journal | Eighteenth-Century Studies |
| Volume | 55 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2021 |
| Externally published | Yes |