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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 6 of 7

Letters from the Mountains
  • Being the Correspondence with her Friends between the Years 1773 and 1803 of Mrs Grant of Laggan
  • Volume 1
  • Anne MacVicar Grant
  • Edited by J. P. Grant
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    22 September 2011
    First published in:
    1845
  • First published in 1806, and revised and edited by her son for this 1845 sixth edition, this collection of letters by Anne Grant (1755–1838) tells her story of thirty years' residence in the Scottish Highlands. Described by the author as 'sketches of a life spent in the most remote obscurity', it was one of the first works to acquaint the public with the romantic scenery of the Highlands. Her lyrical descriptions of the landscape and characters of the rural parish of Laggan caught the imagination of a generation captivated by the poetry of Scott and Burns. Volume 1 begins with Anne McVicar's arrival in the Highlands, describes her marriage, and offers frank revelations of personal tragedies. The work is an important example of a woman's literary contribution to the Romantic movement. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/protected/svPeople?formname=r&person_id=granan.

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
  • With Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects
  • Mary Wollstonecraft
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    28 October 2010
    First published in:
    1792
  • Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797) published A Vindication of the Rights of Woman in 1792. It was written in reaction to Rousseau's Emile (1762), which argued that the purpose of a girl's education was to make her useful to a man. Wollstonecraft offered a defence of woman's ability to reason, given appropriate education. She argued that the limited education given to women made them docile and empty-headed playthings whose supposed fragility and coquetry were constructions that damaged not only the individual but society as a whole. Her radical prescription was for girls to be educated alongside boys and to the same standard, so that they were not left dependent on marriage for financial security. The independence of mind displayed in this polemic has ensured its place as a foundational work in the canon of feminist thought. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=wollma

Some Account of the Public Life, and a Selection from the Unpublished Writings, of the Earl of Macartney
  • Volume 2
  • John Barrow, George Macartney
  • Published online:
    05 January 2012
    Print publication:
    17 February 2011
    First published in:
    1807
  • George Macartney (1737–1806) had a long and distinguished political and diplomatic career. He held the post of Secretary for Ireland, was successively governor of Grenada, Madras and the Cape Colony, and served as trade envoy to Russia and China. The son of an Irish landowner, Macartney rose in his profession through diligent diplomacy, perseverance, ambition and integrity; he gradually advanced in both the British and Irish peerage. This two-volume biography by Sir John Barrow, who had accompanied Macartney to China and the Cape, was first published in 1807, and draws heavily on official documents from Macartney's periods in office. Volume 2 contains substantial extracts from Macartney's writings on Russia and China, giving frank and wide-ranging accounts of the countries, their customs and their governments that provide valuable primary source material for historians of the eighteenth century. It also contains Macartney's sketch of the political history of Ireland.

Through England on a Side Saddle
  • In the Time of William and Mary
  • Celia Fiennes
  • Published online:
    05 December 2011
    Print publication:
    18 November 2010
    First published in:
    1888
  • Through England on a Side Saddle was written around 1700, and first published in full in 1888. Celia Fiennes (1662–1741) was the granddaughter of the 1st Viscount Saye and Sele. She was an enthusiastic traveller through England, both for pleasure and 'to regain my health by variety and change of aire and exercise'. The diary which she kept was intended for her family to read, and, while it lacks Defoe's more systematic approach some two decades later, sheds valuable insights into English social and economic history at the turn of the century. She was uninterested in antiquities, getting most enthusiastic about new developments such as the development of spa towns such as Harrogate, mining and manufacturing industries, and the new stately homes of the period, in some of which she stayed en route. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=fience

Our First Ambassador to China
  • An Account of the Life of George, Earl of Macartney, with Extracts from His Letters, and the Narrative of His Experiences in China, as Told by Himself, 1737–1806
  • Helen Henrietta Macartney Robbins, George Macartney
  • Published online:
    05 November 2011
    Print publication:
    17 February 2011
    First published in:
    1908
  • George Macartney (1737–1806) was a British statesman, diplomat and administrator who held a succession of important appointments. In 1764 he was sent as envoy extraordinary to Russia, but described the Russian nobility as 'vain, petulant, inconsequent, indiscreet, and changeable'. After several years as Chief Secretary for Ireland (1767–1772) and a governorship in the West Indies, he served as Governor of Madras in the early 1780s, a difficult role surrounded by controversy and intrigue. In 1792–1794 he travelled to China on behalf of the government and the East India Company on a mission to negotiate a trade agreement, but was unsuccessful. He ended his career as Governor of the Cape Colony. This 1908 biography, which includes extracts from previously unpublished letters by Macartney and other newly-researched archival material, complements the two-volume 1807 account of Macartney's life by Sir John Barrow, also reissued in this series.

Letters from the Mountains
  • Being the Correspondence with her Friends between the Years 1773 and 1803 of Mrs Grant of Laggan
  • Volume 2
  • Anne MacVicar Grant
  • Edited by J. P. Grant
  • Published online:
    05 November 2011
    Print publication:
    22 September 2011
    First published in:
    1845
  • First published in 1806, and revised and edited by her son for this 1845 sixth edition, this collection of letters by Anne Grant (1755–1838) tells her story of thirty years' residence in the Scottish Highlands. Described by the author as 'sketches of a life spent in the most remote obscurity', it was one of the first works to acquaint the public with the romantic scenery of the Highlands. Anne Grant's lyrical descriptions of the landscape and characters of the rural parish of Laggan caught the imagination of a generation captivated by the poetry of Scott and Burns. Volume 2 includes engaging descriptions of the pleasures of rural life alongside frank and emotional accounts of personal tragedies. The work is an important example of a woman's literary contribution to the Romantic movement. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/protected/svPeople?formname=r&person_id=granan.

Elizabeth Montagu, the Queen of the Bluestockings
  • Her Correspondence from 1720 to 1761
  • Volume 1
  • Elizabeth Montagu
  • Compiled by Emily J. Climenson
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    16 June 2011
    First published in:
    1906
  • Bluestocking, author and hostess, Elizabeth Montagu (1718–1800) exercised an influence far beyond literary scholarship. Compiled by a relative, Emily Climenson, and published in 1906, this collection of her correspondence provides an excellent introduction to the culture and politics of eighteenth-century polite society. In chapters enriched by portraits of both Elizabeth and her correspondents, readers are invited to witness the public and personal interactions and entertainments of Montagu and her circle. The text contains accounts of operas, masquerades, concerts and marriages, and serious philosophical conjectures are mingled with witty and sometimes acerbic notes on 'gowns and fans', 'the northern gentry', 'spa towns' and the gallant actions of 'a brave gamekeeper'. Interwoven with portions of letters received from intimate friends, in particular the Duke and Duchess of Portland, Volume 1 takes the reader from Montagu's birth through to 1751.

A History of Ireland in the Eighteenth Century
  • Volume 4
  • William Edward Hartpole Lecky
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    17 February 2011
    First published in:
    1892
  • W. E. H. Lecky (1838–1903) was one of the most distinguished Victorian historians. He was unusual in the extent to which he made use of archival sources, and noted for his ability of do justice to both sides of an argument. His History of Ireland in the Eighteenth Century was first published as part of A History of England in the Eighteenth Century, but was reissued in 1892 as a five-volume work. He has been described as the first revisionist Irish historian, as the aim of the book was partly to respond to Froude's The English in Ireland in the Eighteenth Century, which is markedly anti-Irish in its sentiments. Lecky was no nationalist, and opposed Home Rule, but wanted to provide a more truthful and balanced account, and his account of the United Irishmen and the events of 1798 was highly regarded. Volume 4 covers the Rebellion of 1798.

A History of Ireland in the Eighteenth Century
  • Volume 2
  • William Edward Hartpole Lecky
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    17 February 2011
    First published in:
    1892
  • W. E. H. Lecky (1838–1903) was one of the most distinguished Victorian historians. He was unusual in the extent to which he made use of archival sources, and noted for his ability of do justice to both sides of an argument. His History of Ireland in the Eighteenth Century was first published as part of A History of England in the Eighteenth Century, but was reissued in 1892 as a five-volume work. He has been described as the first revisionist Irish historian, as the aim of the book was partly to respond to Froude's The English in Ireland in the Eighteenth Century, which is markedly anti-Irish in its sentiments. Lecky was no nationalist, and opposed Home Rule, but wanted to provide a more truthful and balanced account, and his account of the United Irishmen and the events of 1798 was highly regarded. Volume 2 covers the period 1760–1789.

A History of Ireland in the Eighteenth Century
  • Volume 1
  • William Edward Hartpole Lecky
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    17 February 2011
    First published in:
    1892
  • W. E. H. Lecky (1838–1903) was one of the most distinguished Victorian historians. He was unusual in the extent to which he made use of archival sources, and noted for his ability of do justice to both sides of an argument. His History of Ireland in the Eighteenth Century was first published as part of A History of England in the Eighteenth Century, but was reissued in 1892 as a five-volume work. He has been described as the first revisionist Irish historian, as the aim of the book was partly to respond to Froude's The English in Ireland in the Eighteenth Century, which is markedly anti-Irish in its sentiments. Lecky was no nationalist, and opposed Home Rule, but wanted to provide a more truthful and balanced narrative, and his account of the United Irishmen and the events of 1798 was highly regarded. Volume 1 covers the period to 1760.

British Colonial Policy, 1754–1765
  • George Louis Beer
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    25 November 2010
    First published in:
    1907
  • George Louis Beer (1872–1920) was an American historian, businessman and civil servant. After achieving success in the tobacco industry, Beer studied at Columbia University, and between 1893 and 1897 lectured on European history. After retiring, he studied British colonial policy, and was part of the American delegation to the Paris peace conference after the First World War; he later worked for the League of Nations. This volume, first published in 1907, contains Beer's detailed study of British policy in the American colonies between 1754 and 1765. Drawing on a variety of contemporary sources, including official State Papers and political pamphlets, Beer uses the statutes passed during this period to examine the main concerns of the British government regarding the American colonies. He discusses the changing features of British colonial policy in response to contemporary political situations, providing a comprehensive account of British policy during this period of imperial expansion.

A History of Ireland in the Eighteenth Century
  • Volume 3
  • William Edward Hartpole Lecky
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    17 February 2011
    First published in:
    1892
  • W. E. H. Lecky (1838–1903) was one of the most distinguished Victorian historians. He was unusual in the extent to which he made use of archival sources, and noted for his ability of do justice to both sides of an argument. His History of Ireland in the Eighteenth Century was first published as part of A History of England in the Eighteenth Century, but was reissued in 1892 as a five-volume work. He has been described as the first revisionist Irish historian, as the aim of the book was partly to respond to Froude's The English in Ireland in the Eighteenth Century, which is markedly anti-Irish in its sentiments. Lecky was no nationalist, and opposed Home Rule, but wanted to provide a more truthful and balanced account, and his account of the United Irishmen and the events of 1798 was highly regarded. Volume 3 covers the period 1790–1796.

Chronological Notes of Scottish Affairs, from 1680 till 1701
  • Being Chiefly Taken from the Diary of Lord Fountainhall
  • John Lauder
  • Edited by Walter Scott
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    13 January 2011
    First published in:
    1822
  • John Lauder, 2nd Lord Fountainhall (1646–1722) was a Scottish judge who opposed the Union of England and Scotland, and a perceptive observer of political affairs. His large collection of legal opinions and papers, particularly relating to the Privy Council of Scotland, is still consulted today. Chronological Notes of Scottish Affairs, from 1680 till 1701 was edited in 1822 by Sir Walter Scott, and deals with the short reign of James II and accession of William and Mary. Insertions by an earlier owner of the manuscript give the text a more aggressively Jacobite flavour than Lauder in fact felt, as his loyalty to the House of Stuart was tempered by his Presbyterianism and concerns about James' pro-Catholic policies. Lauder's career flourished under William and Mary despite his preserving his independence of party dictates, and his writings give an insight into educated Scottish Presbyterian attitudes to the 'Glorious Revolution'.

A History of England
  • Principally in the Seventeenth Century
  • Volume 6
  • Leopold von Ranke
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    18 November 2010
    First published in:
    1875
  • German historian Leopold von Ranke (1795–1886) is well known for pioneering the modern historical method which advocates empiricism, rather than a focus on the philosophy of history. Emphasizing the importance of presenting history exactly as it happened, Ranke asserted that different eras need to be understood in their own contexts rather than in relation to each other: history should not be regarded as one long, teleological narrative. These principles of writing history, established in earlier publications, are all evident here. Originally published in eight volumes between 1859 and 1869, Ranke's history, 'principally in the seventeenth century', was first published as a six-volume history in English by the Clarendon Press in 1875, the mammoth task of its translation distributed among eight Oxford dons. Volume 6 consists of appendices, including a discussion of other historians' opinions, and extracts from the correspondence of William III, as well as an index.

A History of England
  • Principally in the Seventeenth Century
  • Volume 4
  • Leopold von Ranke
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    18 November 2010
    First published in:
    1875
  • German historian Leopold von Ranke (1795–1886) is well known for pioneering the modern historical method which advocates empiricism, rather than a focus on the philosophy of history. Emphasizing the importance of presenting history exactly as it happened, Ranke asserted that different eras need to be understood in their own contexts rather than in relation to each other: history should not be regarded as one long, teleological narrative. These principles of writing history, established in earlier publications, are all evident here. Originally published in eight volumes between 1859 and 1869, Ranke's history, 'principally in the seventeenth century', was first published as a six-volume history in English by the Clarendon Press in 1875, the mammoth task of its translation distributed among eight Oxford dons. Volume 4 covers the last years of Charles II, the establishment of the Whig and Tory parties, and the Glorious Revolution of 1688.

An English Carmelite
  • The Life of Catharine Burton, Mother Mary Xaveria of the Angels, of the English Teresian Convent at Antwerp
  • Catharine Burton
  • Edited by Thomas Hunter
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    23 September 2010
    First published in:
    1876
  • Catharine Burton (1688–1714) was an English Carmelite nun who in 1697 was inspired to write her autobiography following visions of her patron saint, St. Francis Xavier. During a severe illness in her teenage years which left her near death, Burton underwent a spiritual conversion and resolved to enter a religious order should she survive. After her recovery, Burton entered the English Carmelite convent in Antwerp in 1693. She was elected Superior of the convent in 1700. This volume, first published in 1876, contains her autobiography as arranged by her confessor, Father Thomas Hunter (1666–1725). Burton describes her childhood and spiritual struggles in fascinating detail, and provides a vivid account of her daily life, bodily sufferings and religious practices as a nun. This volume combines elements from medieval accounts of female religious experiences with early modern philosophical ideas, providing valuable information concerning changes in the representation of female spirituality.

The Case of Labourers in Husbandry Stated and Considered
  • David Davies
  • Published online:
    05 August 2011
    Print publication:
    23 December 2010
    First published in:
    1795
  • David Davies (1742–1819) was an English clergyman and social commentator, best remembered for this survey of the lives of rural agricultural labourers. Davies was ordained in 1782 and became the rector of Barkham parish, where he remained incumbent until his death. This volume, first published in 1795, contains Davies' discussion of the living conditions of agricultural labourers in England. Davies discusses in detail the causes of the poverty of labourers, linking the high prices of goods with poverty, and proposes measures to relieve the labourers, including linking their daily wage to the price of bread. Davies' observations also demonstrate the failings of the contemporary Poor Laws. Originally focusing on the annual expenditure of labourers in Davies' own parish, this volume was expanded to include accounts of expenditure from elsewhere in Britain. This meticulously researched volume provides valuable evidence for the increase in rural poverty in the late eighteenth century.

Every Man his Own Broker
  • Or, A Guide to Exchange-Alley
  • Thomas Mortimer
  • Published online:
    05 August 2011
    Print publication:
    09 December 2010
    First published in:
    1761
  • Thomas Mortimer (1730–1810) is chiefly remembered as a writer on economics. Every Man his Own Broker was first published in 1761, and ran to fourteen editions in the next forty years, this reissue being of the fourth edition. It was based on his own experience of the stock market, which in the first half of the eighteenth century was rapidly developing, but also suffered crises in which many speculators lost heavily. Increasing sales of government stock to pay for foreign wars led to concern, and Mortimer gives practical advice to readers to avoid making mistakes by relying on brokers. The book gives a good picture of how the stock market and the London financial world were operating at this time, although Mortimer's antipathy to brokers and jobbers is exaggerated. The book contains the first use of the terms 'bull' and 'bear' to describe types of markets.

A Vindication of the Rights of Men, in a Letter to the Right Honourable Edmund Burke
  • Occasioned by his Reflections on the Revolution in France
  • Mary Wollstonecraft
  • Published online:
    05 July 2011
    Print publication:
    28 October 2010
    First published in:
    1790
  • Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797) published A Vindication of the Rights of Men anonymously in 1790. The pamphlet sold out within three weeks to great acclaim, though later editions published under her own name met with notable opprobrium. It was the first of many printed responses to Edmund Burke's conservative attacks on the French Revolution, and it marked Wollstonecraft's entry into the intellectual arena of the late eighteenth century. She attacked hereditary privilege and political conservatism, arguing for codified civil rights and political liberty. She also highlighted Burke's gendered language and criticised his silence on the plight of women. Wollstonecraft has inspired reverence and revulsion alike, for both her work and her lifestyle. Her prescience and nonconformity, however, have secured her position in the canon of distinguished eighteenth-century political thinkers. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=wollma

A History of England
  • Principally in the Seventeenth Century
  • Volume 3
  • Leopold von Ranke
  • Published online:
    07 June 2011
    Print publication:
    18 November 2010
    First published in:
    1875
  • German historian Leopold von Ranke (1795–1886) is well known for pioneering the modern historical method which advocates empiricism, rather than a focus on the philosophy of history. Emphasizing the importance of presenting history exactly as it happened, Ranke asserted that different eras need to be understood in their own contexts rather than in relation to each other: history should not be regarded as one long, teleological narrative. These principles of writing history, established in earlier publications, are all evident here. Originally published in eight volumes between 1859 and 1869, Ranke's history, 'principally in the seventeenth century', was first published in English as a six-volume history by the Clarendon Press in 1875, the mammoth task of its translation distributed among eight Oxford dons. Volume 3 focuses on the Interregnum years, detailing the rise and fall of Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate, the Restoration, and Charles II's wars with the Dutch.

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