Antiquaries on the economic development of England in the late 16th century: new trends and heritage of the middle ages

The article attempts to study the economic development of England in the late 16th - early 17th centuries. The research was made on the bases of such works by early English antiquaries as «A Description of Elizabethan England» by W. Harrison and «Britain» by W. Camden. The author focuses on the question of what heritage of the Middle Ages and what new trends were marked by antiquaries. The article shows that, being educated and wealthy the antiquaries paid attention to various aspects of everyday life which characterized the economic state of the country, i.e. agriculture, textile industry, mining and metallurgy, development of trade and fleet, rearmament of the army. The author comes to the conclusion that through the comments of antiquaries, their notes as well as the style and language of their presentations, we can say that in the late 16th century England a new type of economic management appeared, which co-existed with the old medieval traditions.