Ashley, “Economic History,” vol. i. part ii. p. 262.
The economic historian must always be prepared to acquiesce in a certain vagueness in the matter of dates. He is not dealing with definite events, such as battles and the enactment of special laws, but rather with social tendencies, each constituted by a large number of small events; such as, for instance, the replacement of hand labour by machinery, the appearance of limited liability companies in the place of the single employer, or the determination of middle-class girls to earn their own living instead of remaining dependent on father or brothers. Tendencies such as these appear at different times in different industries and in different parts of the country, and only a misleading precision can be gained by any mention of definite dates.
Summarised from Seebohm, “Village Community,” pp. 156-157.
Gasquet, “English Monastic Life,” p. 197.
“Economic History,” vol. i.