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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 3 of 7

Correspondence of William Pitt, Earl of Chatham
  • Volume 2
  • 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. Including six pre-1760 letters, Volume 2 (1838) chiefly covers the period from 1760 through to the end of July 1766. The accession of a hostile George III in October 1760 created difficulties for Pitt, which resulted in his resignation from government a year later. During his time in opposition, the Treaty of Paris concluded Anglo-French hostilities.

The History of England from the Accession of James I to that of the Brunswick Line
  • Volume 4
  • 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 4 (1768) follows the course of the English Civil War from the Siege of Gloucester in 1643 through to the trial and execution of Charles I.

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.

Yorkshire Royalist Composition Papers
  • Or the Proceedings of the Committee for Compounding with Deliquents during the Commonwealth
  • Volume 2
  • Edited by John William Clay
  • Published online:
    05 September 2014
    Print publication:
    18 April 2013
    First published in:
    1895
  • To raise money for the Parliamentarian cause in the English Civil War, from 1645 the Committee for Compounding with Delinquents assessed the property of Royalist supporters and fined them, the rate depending on their degree of involvement, their religion and profession. The fine varied between a tenth and two thirds of their assets. They were also forced to take an oath to support Parliament, and could lose their estates if they re-offended or failed to pay the fine in full. Edited by John William Clay (1838–1918) and published between 1893 and 1896, this three-volume collection contains all the entries in the archives relating to Yorkshire landholders. Volume 2 (1895) contains abstracts of cases 71–312, dating from 1646 to 1649. This remains an important historical source on Yorkshire during the Civil War period.

Yorkshire Royalist Composition Papers
  • Or the Proceedings of the Committee for Compounding with Deliquents during the Commonwealth
  • Volume 1
  • Edited by John William Clay
  • Published online:
    05 September 2014
    Print publication:
    18 April 2013
    First published in:
    1893
  • To raise money for the Parliamentarian cause in the English Civil War, from 1645 the Committee for Compounding with Delinquents assessed the property of Royalist supporters and fined them, the rate depending on their degree of involvement, their religion and profession. The fine varied between a tenth and two thirds of their assets. They were also forced to take an oath to support Parliament, and could lose their estates if they re-offended or failed to pay the fine in full. Edited by John William Clay (1838–1918) and published between 1893 and 1896, this three-volume collection contains all the entries in the archives relating to Yorkshire landholders. Volume 1 (1893) contains full accounts of seventy landholders, dating from 1645 to 1646. It gives details of their estates, including information on tenants and rents, and also the names of the Parliamentarians on the County Committees.

West Riding Sessions Records
  • Orders, 1611–1642; Indictments, 1637–1642
  • Edited by John Lister
  • Published online:
    05 September 2014
    Print publication:
    18 April 2013
    First published in:
    1915
  • Published in 1915, this collection of the transactions of the quarter sessions held in Yorkshire West Riding contains the orders for 1611–33 and the indictments and orders for 1637–42. This volume forms a companion to the 1888 edition of West Riding session rolls for 1597–1602, also edited by John Lister (1847–1933), who here provides a lengthy introduction in which he gives an account of the various indictable offences specified in the court records. These include housebreaking, arson, murder, and riotous assembly, as well as absence from church and selling meat during Lent, among others. Court orders are concerned with such subjects as vagrancy, bastardy, alehouses, soldiers, and the plague. The texts themselves, which in this volume are all in English, typically state the indictment, describe the incidents of the trial, if any, and give the verdict in each case. Lister provides extensive explanatory footnotes.

Three Seventeenth-Century Yorkshire Surveys
  • Edited by Thomas Stuart Willan, Ely Wilkinson Crossley
  • Published online:
    05 September 2014
    Print publication:
    18 April 2013
    First published in:
    1941
  • Originally founded in 1863 to promote interest in the history and archaeology of the Huddersfield area, the Yorkshire Archaeological Society expanded its purview in 1870 to cover the whole of Yorkshire. In 1884 it began publishing its Record Series, which aimed to make historical information available through the reprinting of original documents, diaries, letters and charters. First printed for the society in 1941, this work comprises three seventeenth-century surveys. The first, introduced and edited by Thomas Stuart Willan (1910–94), addresses the manor of Wensleydale, and the remaining two, introduced and edited by Ely Wilkinson Crossley (1863–1942), are concerned with the areas - then known as lordships - of Middleham and Richmond. Providing details of property and land ownership, tenancies, dispute resolution, and farming, this work remains a valuable resource for local historians as well as scholars of seventeenth-century British history and historical geography.

Yorkshire Royalist Composition Papers
  • Or the Proceedings of the Committee for Compounding with Deliquents during the Commonwealth
  • Volume 3
  • Edited by John William Clay
  • Published online:
    05 September 2014
    Print publication:
    18 April 2013
    First published in:
    1896
  • To raise money for the Parliamentarian cause in the English Civil War, from 1645 the Committee for Compounding with Delinquents assessed the property of Royalist supporters and fined them, the rate depending on their degree of involvement, their religion and profession. The fine varied between a tenth and two thirds of their assets. They were also forced to take an oath to support Parliament, and could lose their estates if they re-offended or failed to pay the fine in full. Edited by John William Clay (1838–1918) and published between 1893 and 1896, this three-volume collection contains all the entries in the archives relating to Yorkshire landholders. Volume 3 (1896) contains abstracts of cases 313–677, dating from 1646 to 1659, although there were far fewer proceedings after 1653. The appendix includes the texts of the National Covenant (1643) and the National Oath (1645).

Two Yorkshire Diaries
  • The Diary of Arthur Jessop and Ralph Ward's Journal
  • Arthur Jessop, Ralph Ward
  • Edited by C. E. Whiting
  • Published online:
    05 September 2014
    Print publication:
    18 April 2013
    First published in:
    1952
  • These diaries by Ralph Ward (fl.1754–6) and Arthur Jessop (1682–1751) were first published in 1952 and paint a valuable portrait of the trials, tribulations and pleasures of everyday life for the middle classes in rural Yorkshire in the mid-eighteenth century. A transcription of Jessop's diary from 1861 was first discovered in a Huddersfield bookshop in 1927. A local apothecary and pious community man, Jessop depicts the cycles of life in West Yorkshire, displaying a very British preoccupation with the weather. His diary, which covers the period 1730–46, notably discusses the impact of the Jacobite uprising of 1745. Ralph Ward was a fairly wealthy cattle trader, farmer and businessman in North Yorkshire. He was involved in local government, which he describes factually and clearly. His diary, covering the period 1754–6, also discusses business transactions, farming methods and, of course, the weather.

The Life of the Rev. John Wesley, M.A.
  • Some Time Fellow of Lincoln-College, Oxford
  • Volume 2
  • John Whitehead
  • Published online:
    05 July 2014
    Print publication:
    06 May 2013
    First published in:
    1796
  • Published in 1793–6, amid controversy following the death of John Wesley (1703–91), this two-volume work vied with others for status as the most authentic biography of the Methodist leader. Wesley had left his papers to his physician John Whitehead (c.1740–1804) and the ministers Thomas Coke and Henry Moore, but Whitehead monopolised the papers in the preparation of his biography, refusing to allow his fellow executors access - the dispute is mentioned in the prefatory matter to Volume 1. Volume 2 continues the narrative from Wesley's voyage to America in 1735 until his death. It also includes assessments of his character and writings, as well as Whitehead's analysis of the state of Methodism at the time of writing. This remains an important critical appraisal of the movement's early history, offering researchers valuable insights into the contemporary debates over the future and structure of Methodism.

The Life of the Rev. John Wesley, M.A.
  • Some Time Fellow of Lincoln-College, Oxford
  • Volume 1
  • John Whitehead
  • Published online:
    05 July 2014
    Print publication:
    06 May 2013
    First published in:
    1793
  • Published in 1793–6, amid controversy following the death of John Wesley (1703–91), this two-volume work vied with others for status as the most authentic biography of the Methodist leader. Wesley had left his papers to his physician John Whitehead (c.1740–1804) and the ministers Thomas Coke and Henry Moore, but Whitehead monopolised the papers in the preparation of his biography, refusing to allow his fellow executors access - the dispute is mentioned in the prefatory matter to Volume 1. In addition to tracing John's career up to 1735, this volume contains accounts of his relatives, notably a substantial life of his brother Charles (1707–88), distinguished hymnodist and fellow founder of Methodism. This remains an important critical appraisal of the movement's early history, offering researchers valuable insights into the contemporary debates over the future and structure of Methodism.

Wakefield Manor Book, 1709
  • Edited by John Charlesworth
  • Published online:
    05 May 2014
    Print publication:
    18 April 2013
    First published in:
    1939
  • William Elmsall was the deputy steward of Wakefield manor in 1709. He is taken to be the compiler of this comprehensive record of the state of the manor and its accounts in that year. After the work's value to the study of eighteenth-century English social and economic history was recognised by the Yorkshire Archaeological Society, publication followed in 1939. The book was edited by John Charlesworth (b.1865), a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, who transcribed and edited parish registers and other documents of historical importance. Contained in this work are lists of the names of the lords, freeholders, officers, bailiffs, and all the towns and villages within the manor. The book also includes decrees covering rent and fines and the fees of gaolers and bailiffs, as well as information on the succession of the lords of Wakefield manor.

Memoirs of Mrs Inchbald
  • Including her Familiar Correspondence with the Most Distinguished Persons of her Time
  • Volume 1
  • James Boaden
  • Published online:
    05 March 2014
    Print publication:
    05 September 2013
  • Although she overcame a stammer to fulfil her acting ambitions, Elizabeth Simpson (1753–1821), known as Mrs Inchbald after her marriage in 1772, was more acclaimed for her good looks than her performances. Her husband was an actor, and she formed strong friendships with Sarah Siddons and John Philip Kemble, but her greatest impact was as a playwright, novelist, editor and critic. Despite her decision to destroy a four-volume autobiography, her extensive surviving journals and letters allowed James Boaden (1762–1839) to publish this two-volume work in 1833. Having produced biographies of Siddons, Kemble and Dorothy Jordan (which are also reissued in this series), Boaden presents here an informed account of this remarkable woman's personal, theatrical and literary life. Volume 1 covers the period from her birth to 1796 and includes as an appendix The Massacre (1792), a suppressed historical drama about the persecution of Huguenots in 1572.

Memoirs of John Horne Tooke
  • Interspersed with Original Documents
  • Volume 1
  • Alexander Stephens
  • Published online:
    05 March 2014
    Print publication:
    26 September 2013
    First published in:
    1813
  • Equally revered and reviled, the radical John Horne Tooke (1736–1812) enjoyed a well-deserved reputation as a political firebrand. Having attended Eton and St John's College, Cambridge, he explored careers in the church and law before finally gaining recognition as a vehement advocate of political reform. This acclaimed two-volume biography by Alexander Stephens (1757–1821) was published in 1813, incorporating personal correspondence and presenting its subject as 'a firm friend to the laws and liberties of his native country'. Volume 1 covers the period 1736–77 and leads the reader from Horne's birth, education and ordination through to his early defence of John Wilkes and the foundation of the Society of Gentleman Supporters of the Bill of Rights. During this period, Horne published The Petition of an Englishman (1765) as well as stinging letters in the Oxford Magazine. This volume concludes with an account of Horne's infamous trial and imprisonment for libel.

An Essay on the First Principles of Government
  • And on the Nature of Political, Civil, and Religious Liberty
  • Joseph Priestley
  • Published online:
    05 March 2014
    Print publication:
    26 September 2013
  • In this 1768 publication, Joseph Priestley (1733–1804) expounds his political philosophy, revealed in part through his earlier writings on education and theology. While teaching at the dissenting academy at Warrington, he had argued against a scheme of national education in his Essay on a Course of Liberal Education (1765), included and expanded on in his Miscellaneous Observations Relating to Education (1778), which has been reissued in this series. Here, he explains that freedoms of education and religion promote free discourse, which is essential for social progress. Such discourse is only possible when government protects both civil liberty, power over one's own actions, and political liberty, the right to vote and hold office. Although harshly criticised at first for its perceived attack on church and government authority, Priestley's work inspired later liberal political theorists, notably enthusing Jeremy Bentham with its incorporation of a principle of utility.

Memoirs of Mrs Inchbald
  • Including her Familiar Correspondence with the Most Distinguished Persons of her Time
  • Volume 2
  • James Boaden
  • Published online:
    05 March 2014
    Print publication:
    05 September 2013
  • Although she overcame a stammer to fulfil her acting ambitions, Elizabeth Simpson (1753–1821), known as Mrs Inchbald after her marriage in 1772, was more acclaimed for her good looks than her performances. Her husband was an actor, and she formed strong friendships with Sarah Siddons and John Philip Kemble, but her greatest impact was as a playwright, novelist, editor and critic. Despite her decision to destroy a four-volume autobiography, her extensive surviving journals and letters allowed James Boaden (1762–1839) to publish this two-volume work in 1833. Having produced biographies of Siddons, Kemble and Dorothy Jordan (which are also reissued in this series), Boaden presents here an informed account of this remarkable woman's personal, theatrical and literary life. Volume 2 covers the period from 1796 until her death. It includes as an appendix A Case of Conscience (1800), a play that had not been previously performed or published.

An Earnest Appeal for Mercy to the Children of the Poor
  • Particularly Those Belonging to the Parishes within the Bills of Mortality
  • Jonas Hanway
  • Published online:
    05 March 2014
    Print publication:
    22 August 2013
    First published in:
    1766
  • In eighteenth-century London, abandoned children were one of the social groups most affected by the harsh living conditions. Several charitable initiatives had endeavoured to alleviate the problem, not least the Foundling Hospital, of which Jonas Hanway (c.1712–86) was a governor. His tireless philanthropy and campaigning resulted in the 1762 Registers Bill, which required parishes to keep records of the poor children they looked after. In this tract, first published in 1766, Hanway uses information collected from these registers to demonstrate the appalling mortality rates of orphans in care in London, calling for radical reform. This work was instrumental in the passage of the 1767 act that resulted in a dramatic fall in the number of infant deaths over the following decade. It is a powerful exposé of the failures of the capital's care system, as well as a testament to the influence of philanthropic activism.

Memoirs of Mrs Fitzherbert
  • With an Account of her Marriage with H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, Afterwards King George IV
  • Charles Langdale
  • Published online:
    05 March 2014
    Print publication:
    04 July 2013
    First published in:
    1856
  • Maria Fitzherbert (1756–1837) was already twice widowed when the young Prince of Wales began his pursuit of her in 1784. Initially refusing his offer of marriage, she eventually accepted it and the couple were wed in secret the following year. Though legitimate in her eyes, the union was invalid under the Royal Marriages Act of 1772, and controversial because of her Catholicism. A posthumous attack on her faith and morals, penned by Lord Holland in his Memoirs of the Whig Party, provoked her close friend Charles Langdale (1787–1868) into publishing this defence in 1856. A champion of Catholic emancipation, Langdale was one of the first Catholics elected to Parliament. These memoirs are based on Maria Fitzherbert's own recollections, recounted to Langdale's brother, Lord Stourton. They reveal the values and beliefs of an exceptional woman who occupied a unique and precarious position within British high society.

Archbishop Herring's Visitation Returns, 1743
  • Volume 5
  • Edited by Sidney Leslie Ollard, Philip Charles Walker
  • Published online:
    05 March 2014
    Print publication:
    21 March 2013
    First published in:
    1931
  • In 1743, the appointment of a new archbishop of York, Thomas Herring (1693–1757), led to the creation of one of the most useful historical records of parish life in eighteenth-century England. This five-volume edition of visitation returns was first published between 1928 and 1931. It contains the responses made by hundreds of clergymen to the archbishop's enquiries as to the social and religious character of their parishes. Incorporating records detailing clerical matters and covering subjects ranging from the number of families in residence to the popularity of Methodism and the provision of schools, these volumes comprise, in the words of the editors, 'a collection of facts which are valuable for the economic and social, as well as the ecclesiastical history of England'. Volume 5 contains biographical notes, an index of place names and an index of persons.

Memoirs of John Horne Tooke
  • Interspersed with Original Documents
  • Volume 2
  • Alexander Stephens
  • Published online:
    05 March 2014
    Print publication:
    26 September 2013
    First published in:
    1813
  • Equally revered and reviled, the radical John Horne Tooke (1736–1812) enjoyed a well-deserved reputation as a political firebrand. Having attended Eton and St John's College, Cambridge, he explored careers in the church and law before finally gaining recognition as a vehement advocate of political reform. This acclaimed two-volume biography by Alexander Stephens (1757–1821) was published in 1813, incorporating personal correspondence and presenting its subject as 'a firm friend to the laws and liberties of his native country'. Volume 2 covers the period 1777–1812 and leads the reader through Horne's two periods of imprisonment, two parliamentary election campaigns, the rise of the Society for Constitutional Information and the publication of his final pamphlet, A Warning to the Electors of Westminster (1807). This volume concludes with an account of his final years of ill health, his death and his political legacy.

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