The following paper will discuss in deep which industrial and socioeconomic factors overthrew traditional English views and lifestyles in a time frame of 200 years. Firstly, an overview about the circumstances and the structural changes in social and economic perspective in England between 1600 and 1800 provides a starting point to the topic. Secondly, a deeper analysis and discussion on the development of the English family gives insight into the social change. Thirdly, a weighting of the used and studied material shows the difficulty in objectivity of primary and secondary sources. Finally, the main points are summarised with a conclusion about the effects of the changes on the English family.