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  3. Cambridge Library Collection - British & Irish History, 17th & 18th Centuries

The books in this series focus on the British Isles in the early modern period, as interpreted by eighteenth- and nineteenth-century historians, and show the shift to 'scientific' historiography. Several of them are devoted exclusively to the history of Ireland, while others cover topics including economic history, foreign and colonial policy, agriculture and the industrial revolution. There are also works in political thought and social theory, which address subjects such as human rights, the role of women, and criminal justice.

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124 results in Cambridge Library Collection - British & Irish History, 17th & 18th Centuries

Page 2 of 7

The History of England from the Accession of James I to that of the Brunswick Line
  • Volume 7
  • Catharine Macaulay
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    19 September 2013
  • A landmark in female historiography, this work first appeared in eight volumes between 1763 and 1783. Notable for her radical politics and her influence on American revolutionary ideology, Catharine Macaulay (1731–91) drew diligently on untapped seventeenth-century sources to craft her skilful yet inevitably biased narrative. Seen as a Whig response to David Hume's Tory perspective on English history, the early volumes made Macaulay a literary sensation in the 1760s. Later instalments were less rapturously received by those critics who took exception to her republican views. Both the product and a portrait of tumultuous ages, the work maintains throughout a strong focus on the fortunes of political liberty. Volume 7 (1781) deals with the period following the end of the Third Anglo-Dutch War in 1674, extending to the trial and execution of Algernon Sidney in 1683.

The History of England from the Accession of James I to that of the Brunswick Line
  • Volume 3
  • Catharine Macaulay
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    19 September 2013
  • A landmark in female historiography, this work first appeared in eight volumes between 1763 and 1783. Notable for her radical politics and her influence on American revolutionary ideology, Catharine Macaulay (1731–91) drew diligently on untapped seventeenth-century sources to craft her skilful yet inevitably biased narrative. Seen as a Whig response to David Hume's Tory perspective on English history, the early volumes made Macaulay a literary sensation in the 1760s. Later instalments were less rapturously received by those critics who took exception to her republican views. Both the product and a portrait of tumultuous ages, the work maintains throughout a strong focus on the fortunes of political liberty. Volume 3 (1767) covers the outbreak of the English Civil War, closing with Prince Rupert's taking of Bristol in the summer of 1643.

The Early History of Coffee Houses in England
  • With Some Account of the First Use of Coffee and a Bibliography of the Subject
  • Edward Forbes Robinson
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    18 April 2013
    First published in:
    1893
  • Coffee houses played an important role in the cultural and intellectual history of the seventeenth century. Functioning as venues where people could meet, catch up with news, transact business and discuss issues of mutual concern, they provided a valuable alternative to public houses: the absence of alcohol allowed for more serious conversation. First published in 1893, this illustrated study by Edward Forbes Robinson (fl.1890) explores the history of the English coffee house and its role in seventeenth-century social and political life. Beginning with a history of coffee itself, Robinson examines the religious traditions surrounding the beverage, moving on to discuss its medical uses and the clientele who frequented the establishments that served it. The role of the coffee house as a temperance institution is also considered. With an appendix containing a selection of contemporary texts and descriptions of coffee house tokens, this lively study remains significant to social historians.

The Archdeaconry of Richmond in the Eighteenth Century
  • Bishop Gastrell's 'Notitia' – The Yorkshire Parishes 1714–1725
  • Edited by L. A. S. Butler
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    18 April 2013
    First published in:
    1990
  • Francis Gastrell (1662–1725) served as Bishop of Chester from 1714 until his death. During this time, he compiled historical notes on his diocese from a range of medieval and contemporary sources. His survey contains detailed information on parishes, including their sizes, populations and economies. The notes also provide invaluable data on administrative matters such as the development of the towns within the diocese, notably including records of acts of charity and records of the grammar schools and their governors, finances and statutes. This 1990 publication, prepared by L. A. S. Butler, is the first printed edition of the notes relating to the Yorkshire parishes that had been transferred within the archdeaconry of Richmond to the bishopric of Chester. With full editorial apparatus, and thorough indexes of persons, clergy and places, this work stands as an important resource for church, social and local historians.

Memoirs of the Life of John Philip Kemble, Esq.
  • Including a History of the Stage, from the Time of Garrick to the Present Period
  • Volume 2
  • James Boaden
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    05 September 2013
  • Born into the theatre, though originally intended for Catholic holy orders, John Philip Kemble (1757–1823) made as great a name for himself on the English stage as his gifted older sister, Sarah Siddons. Known for his mastery of tragic Shakespearian roles, among which Coriolanus was deemed his finest, Kemble also distinguished himself as acting manager at Drury Lane under Sheridan. Described by Sir Walter Scott as 'grave, critical, full and laudably accurate', this extensive two-volume biography was the work of James Boaden (1762–1839), an author well acquainted with the foremost theatrical personalities of his day. Boaden's biographies of Sarah Siddons, Elizabeth Inchbald and Dorothy Jordan have also been reissued in this series, along with his edition of David Garrick's correspondence. Volume 2 of the present work opens with the season of 1789–90 at Drury Lane and closes with the text of Kemble's will.

The History of England from the Accession of James I to that of the Brunswick Line
  • Volume 6
  • Catharine Macaulay
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    19 September 2013
  • A landmark in female historiography, this work first appeared in eight volumes between 1763 and 1783. Notable for her radical politics and her influence on American revolutionary ideology, Catharine Macaulay (1731–91) drew diligently on untapped seventeenth-century sources to craft her skilful yet inevitably biased narrative. Seen as a Whig response to David Hume's Tory perspective on English history, the early volumes made Macaulay a literary sensation in the 1760s. Later instalments were less rapturously received by those critics who took exception to her republican views. Both the product and a portrait of tumultuous ages, the work maintains throughout a strong focus on the fortunes of political liberty. Volume 6 (1781) covers the reign of Charles II up to the end of the Third Anglo-Dutch War in 1674.

The History of England from the Accession of James I to that of the Brunswick Line
  • Volume 5, From the Death of Charles I to the Restoration of Charles II
  • Catharine Macaulay
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    19 September 2013
  • A landmark in female historiography, this work first appeared in eight volumes between 1763 and 1783. Notable for her radical politics and her influence on American revolutionary ideology, Catharine Macaulay (1731–91) drew diligently on untapped seventeenth-century sources to craft her skilful yet inevitably biased narrative. Seen as a Whig response to David Hume's Tory perspective on English history, the early volumes made Macaulay a literary sensation in the 1760s. Later instalments were less rapturously received by those critics who took exception to her republican views. Both the product and a portrait of tumultuous ages, the work maintains throughout a strong focus on the fortunes of political liberty. Volume 5 (1771) covers the momentous period following the execution of Charles I in 1649 through to the restoration of the monarchy in 1660.

The History of England from the Accession of James I to that of the Brunswick Line
  • Volume 1
  • Catharine Macaulay
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    19 September 2013
  • A landmark in female historiography, this work first appeared in eight volumes between 1763 and 1783. Notable for her radical politics and her influence on American revolutionary ideology, Catharine Macaulay (1731–91) drew diligently on untapped seventeenth-century sources to craft her skilful yet inevitably biased narrative. Seen as a Whig response to David Hume's Tory perspective on English history, the early volumes made Macaulay a literary sensation in the 1760s. Later instalments were less rapturously received by those critics who took exception to her republican views. Both the product and a portrait of tumultuous ages, the work maintains throughout a strong focus on the fortunes of political liberty. Volume 1 (1763) begins with the founding of the Stuart dynasty in 1603 and takes the narrative through to the reign of Charles I and the passing of the Petition of Right in 1628.

Correspondence of William Pitt, Earl of Chatham
  • Volume 4
  • William Pitt
  • Edited by William Stanhope Taylor, John Henry Pringle
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    05 December 2013
  • Famed for his masterful oratory and fearless criticism of parliamentary opponents, William Pitt the Elder (1708–78) distinguished himself through the strong leadership he provided during Britain's struggle against France in the Seven Years' War. Edited by his great-grandsons and first published between 1838 and 1840, this four-volume collection presents nearly forty years' worth of letters to and from the great statesman. Each volume also contains a useful list of the principal officers of state for the period covered, along with facsimile plates of letters and signatures by some of Pitt's eminent correspondents. Volume 4 (1840) covers the period from November 1770 until Pitt's death in May 1778. Despite his retirement and deteriorating health, he continued to take an active interest in politics, writing to his many correspondents on a wide range of subjects, notably the unfolding American Revolution.

The Life of Richard Earl Howe, K.G.
  • Admiral of the Fleet, and General of Marines
  • John Barrow
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    31 October 2013
  • Richard, Earl Howe (1726–99) participated in some of the Royal Navy's most significant conflicts. As captain of the Dunkirk, he fired the first shots of the Seven Years' War off the eastern coast of North America in 1755. After being forced to juggle the demands of the American Revolutionary War with the British government's reluctance to put the ships he needed at his disposal, he resigned his command of the North American Station, but later made a comeback, masterminding the battle against the French on the 'Glorious First of June' in 1794. Prolific author Sir John Barrow (1764–1848) drew on more than 400 of Howe's personal letters in preparing this substantial biography, first published in 1838. Several of Barrow's other works have also been reissued in this series, including his autobiography and accounts of the early years of polar exploration.

The Rural Economy of the West of England
  • Including Devonshire, and Parts of Somersetshire, Dorsetshire, and Cornwall
  • Volume 1
  • William Marshall
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    21 November 2013
  • Between 1787 and 1798, the agricultural writer and land agent William Marshall (1745–1818) published a number of works on the rural economies of England, covering Norfolk, his native Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, the Midlands and the South. This two-volume study appeared in 1796 and investigated the farming, geography, public works and produce of districts in Devon, Somerset, Dorset and Cornwall. Volume 1 looks in detail at West Devon, the eastern parts of Cornwall, and the South Hams. The coverage includes aspects of the laws surrounding land ownership, farming implements peculiar to the areas, woodland management, orchards and the production of fruit-based liquors. The result is a richly detailed survey of the area in the Georgian period and an important record of rural and agricultural life, so often overlooked by other contemporary chroniclers.

The Life of Mrs Godolphin
  • John Evelyn
  • Edited by Samuel Wilberforce
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    13 June 2013
    First published in:
    1847
  • John Evelyn (1620–1706), a founder member of the Royal Society, was a horticulturalist and author, best remembered for his diaries. Throughout his prolific writings he exhibits a strong distaste for the corruption of life at court. The beautiful and pious Margaret Godolphin (1652–78), a courtier more than thirty years Evelyn's junior, with whom he struck up an intense friendship in 1672, was maid of honour in the household of Queen Catherine, wife of King Charles II. To Evelyn she represented the antithesis of the corruption he despised. Written as 'a record of her perfections' following her death in childbirth, this hagiographic biography reflects the extent of Evelyn's devotion. Left among his unrevised manuscripts, it was not published until 1847, nearly two centuries after its composition. Edited by the bishop and orator Samuel Wilberforce (1805–73), the work includes helpful notes and genealogical tables that elucidate the text.

The State of the Prisons in England and Wales
  • With Preliminary Observations and an Account of Some Foreign Prisons
  • John Howard
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    27 June 2013
  • First published in 1777 by the philanthropist John Howard (1726–90), this work was intended for as wide a readership as possible. Based on research from more than 300 visits to at least 230 different penal institutions on his extensive travels around Great Britain, Ireland and continental Europe, The State of the Prisons was a vital early contribution to the cause of penal reform. It provided, for the first time, systematic evidence of poor management and degrading conditions in institutions at home and abroad. Although Howard saw only limited changes to prisons in his lifetime, his labours formed a crucial platform for subsequent movements, notably the Howard League for Penal Reform, founded in 1866. This reissue incorporates a substantial appendix, compiled in 1784, which presents updated findings from further visits to British institutions as well as those in Germany, France, Italy, Flanders and Scandinavia, among many other places.

Memoirs of the Life of Sir Samuel Romilly
  • Written by Himself; with a Selection from his Correspondence
  • Volume 2
  • Samuel Romilly
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    05 September 2013
  • A friend of Wilberforce and Bentham, Sir Samuel Romilly (1757–1818) combined considerable legal expertise with commitment to progressive political causes such as the abolition of the slave trade. During his time in Parliament - he was Solicitor General in Lord Grenville's 'Ministry of All the Talents' - he sought to lessen the archaic severity of English criminal law regarding corporal and capital punishment. Though he met with resistance, his efforts raised awareness and influenced later reforms. Compiled by his sons and published in 1840, this three-volume collection of autobiographical writings and varied correspondence illuminates the development of his outlook and the principles which guided him. Volume 2 comprises selected correspondence for the period 1792–1802, the diary of a visit to Paris in 1802, an unfinished narrative of personal events in 1805, and Romilly's diary of his parliamentary life between 1806 and 1811.

Memoirs of the Life of John Philip Kemble, Esq.
  • Including a History of the Stage, from the Time of Garrick to the Present Period
  • Volume 1
  • James Boaden
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    05 September 2013
  • Born into the theatre, though originally intended for Catholic holy orders, John Philip Kemble (1757–1823) made as great a name for himself on the English stage as his gifted older sister, Sarah Siddons. Known for his mastery of tragic Shakespearian roles, among which Coriolanus was deemed his finest, Kemble also distinguished himself as acting manager at Drury Lane under Sheridan. Described by Sir Walter Scott as 'grave, critical, full and laudably accurate', this extensive two-volume biography was the work of James Boaden (1762–1839), an author well acquainted with the foremost theatrical personalities of his day. Boaden's biographies of Sarah Siddons, Elizabeth Inchbald and Dorothy Jordan have also been reissued in this series, along with his edition of David Garrick's correspondence. Volume 1 of the present work covers Kemble's career through to his first season in charge at Drury Lane in 1788–9.

Correspondence of William Pitt, Earl of Chatham
  • Volume 3
  • William Pitt
  • Edited by William Stanhope Taylor, John Henry Pringle
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    05 December 2013
  • Famed for his masterful oratory and fearless criticism of parliamentary opponents, William Pitt the Elder (1708–78) distinguished himself through the strong leadership he provided during Britain's struggle against France in the Seven Years' War. Edited by his great-grandsons and first published between 1838 and 1840, this four-volume collection presents nearly forty years' worth of letters to and from the great statesman. Each volume also contains a useful list of the principal officers of state for the period covered, along with facsimile plates of letters and signatures by some of Pitt's eminent correspondents. Volume 3 (1839) covers the period from 1766 through to November 1770. Following Rockingham's resignation in July 1766, Pitt accepted a peerage and became the Earl of Chatham, forming a new ministry that lasted until 1768. As prime minister, he was constantly troubled by longstanding health problems.

Correspondence of William Pitt, Earl of Chatham
  • Volume 1
  • William Pitt
  • Edited by William Stanhope Taylor, John Henry Pringle
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    05 December 2013
  • Famed for his masterful oratory and fearless criticism of parliamentary opponents, William Pitt the Elder (1708–78) distinguished himself through the strong leadership he provided during Britain's struggle against France in the Seven Years' War. Edited by his great-grandsons and first published between 1838 and 1840, this four-volume collection presents nearly forty years' worth of letters to and from the great statesman. Each volume also contains a useful list of the principal officers of state for the period covered, along with facsimile plates of letters and signatures by some of Pitt's eminent correspondents. Volume 1 (1838) covers the period 1741–59, although most of the letters date from 1754 onwards. Pitt's early political career saw him launch attacks on Sir Robert Walpole, contributing to the latter's resignation in 1742. Once Pitt had himself taken up the reins of power, the annus mirabilis of 1759 marked a high point of his wartime strategy.

The Rural Economy of the West of England
  • Including Devonshire, and Parts of Somersetshire, Dorsetshire, and Cornwall
  • Volume 2
  • William Marshall
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    21 November 2013
  • Between 1787 and 1798, the agricultural writer and land agent William Marshall (1745–1818) published a number of works on the rural economies of England, covering Norfolk, his native Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, the Midlands and the South. This two-volume study appeared in 1796 and investigated the farming, geography, public works and produce of districts in Devon, Somerset, Dorset and Cornwall. Volume 2 looks in detail at the upland areas of Cornwall and Devon, at Dartmoor, North Devon, the vales of Exeter and Taunton, and West Dorset. The coverage includes aspects of the laws surrounding land ownership, the chemistry of the soil, notes on the dairy industry, and suggested improvements to farming practices. The result is a richly detailed survey of the area in the Georgian period and an important record of rural and agricultural life, so often overlooked by other contemporary chroniclers.

Memoirs of the Life of Sir Samuel Romilly
  • Written by Himself; with a Selection from his Correspondence
  • Volume 3
  • Samuel Romilly
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    05 September 2013
  • A friend of Wilberforce and Bentham, Sir Samuel Romilly (1757–1818) combined considerable legal expertise with commitment to progressive political causes such as the abolition of the slave trade. During his time in Parliament - he was Solicitor General in Lord Grenville's 'Ministry of All the Talents' - he sought to lessen the archaic severity of English criminal law regarding corporal and capital punishment. Though he met with resistance, his efforts raised awareness and influenced later reforms. Compiled by his sons and published in 1840, this three-volume collection of autobiographical writings and varied correspondence illuminates the development of his outlook and the principles which guided him. Volume 3 contains the concluding part of Romilly's diary of his parliamentary life, covering the years 1812–18. Also included are private memoranda which Romilly described as observations on his 'situation in life and future prospects'.

The History of England from the Accession of James I to that of the Brunswick Line
  • Volume 8
  • Catharine Macaulay
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    19 September 2013
  • A landmark in female historiography, this work first appeared in eight volumes between 1763 and 1783. Notable for her radical politics and her influence on American revolutionary ideology, Catharine Macaulay (1731–91) drew diligently on untapped seventeenth-century sources to craft her skilful yet inevitably biased narrative. Seen as a Whig response to David Hume's Tory perspective on English history, the early volumes made Macaulay a literary sensation in the 1760s. Later instalments were less rapturously received by those critics who took exception to her republican views. Both the product and a portrait of tumultuous ages, the work maintains throughout a strong focus on the fortunes of political liberty. Volume 8 (1783) covers the final years of the reign of Charles II and the ill-fated reign of James II, concluding with a full account of the Glorious Revolution.

Page 2 of 7