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This series comprises contemporary or near-contemporary accounts of the political, economic and social history of the British Isles during the nineteenth century. It includes material on international diplomacy and trade, labour relations and the women's movement, developments in education and social welfare, religious emancipation, the justice system and special events including the Great Exhibition of 1851.

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240 results in Cambridge Library Collection - British and Irish History, 19th Century

Page 12 of 12

A Statistical Account of the British Empire
  • Exhibiting its Extent, Physical Capacities, Population, Industry, and Civil and Religious Institutions
  • Volume 1
  • J. R. McCulloch
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    15 December 2011
    First published in:
    1837
  • John Ramsay McCulloch (1789–1864) wrote numerous articles, pamphlets and books about the emerging field of political economy. This two-volume work, published in 1837, focuses on 'the British Empire, exclusive of its foreign dependencies', in other words, Great Britain and Ireland. McCulloch drew information from the 1821 and 1831 census returns and commissioned contributions from experts including William Jackson Hooker, who provided the article on botany. His book was the first such overview to be compiled in more than a century and is an indispensable contemporary source on life in Great Britain and Ireland at the close of the Georgian era. Volume 1 first covers topography and population, and then focuses on agriculture, providing fascinating data on land use and the breeds of livestock reared. Additional chapters focus on crime and punishment, improvements in diet and standard of living, the economic benefits deriving from overseas colonies, and the English language.

Travels into Bokhara
  • Being the Account of a Journey from India to Cabool, Tartary and Persia; Also, Narrative of a Voyage on the Indus, from the Sea to Lahore, with Presents from the King of Great Britain
  • Volume 2
  • Alexander Burnes
  • Published online:
    05 January 2015
    Print publication:
    31 July 2014
    First published in:
    1834
  • Aged sixteen, Alexander Burnes (1805–41) took up a post in the Bombay army, and speedily learned both Hindustani and Persian. His skills led him to political work, and he himself proposed a covert expedition to Bukhara, to survey the country, but also to observe the expansionist activities of the Russians in central Asia. In 1832, he set off, with an army doctor, and two Indians as surveyor and secretary. They travelled in local dress and adopted whatever personas a situation required. Having reached Bukhara, they continued overland to the Caspian Sea, and then to Tehran, returning to Bombay by sea in 1833. This three-volume account of his adventures, published in 1834, was an instant bestseller. Volume 2 completes the journey, and describes the geography and history of central Asia. Burnes continued his diplomatic activities in Afghanistan, but was murdered there by a mob in 1841.

Travels into Bokhara
  • Being the Account of a Journey from India to Cabool, Tartary and Persia; Also, Narrative of a Voyage on the Indus, from the Sea to Lahore, with Presents from the King of Great Britain
  • Volume 3
  • Alexander Burnes
  • Published online:
    05 November 2014
    Print publication:
    31 July 2014
    First published in:
    1834
  • Aged sixteen, Alexander Burnes (1805–41) took up a post in the Bombay army, and speedily learned both Hindustani and Persian. His skills led him to political work, and he himself proposed a covert expedition to Bukhara, to survey the country, but also to observe the expansionist activities of the Russians in central Asia. In 1832, he set off, with an army doctor, and two Indians as surveyor and secretary. They travelled in local dress and adopted whatever personas a situation required. Having reached Bukhara, they continued overland to the Caspian Sea, and then to Tehran, returning to Bombay by sea in 1833. This three-volume account of his adventures, published in 1834, was an instant bestseller. Volume 3 is an account of Burnes' earlier diplomatic mission up the Indus to Lahore in 1831. He continued his diplomatic activities in Afghanistan, but was murdered there by a mob in 1841.

Travels into Bokhara
  • Being the Account of a Journey from India to Cabool, Tartary and Persia; Also, Narrative of a Voyage on the Indus, from the Sea to Lahore, with Presents from the King of Great Britain
  • Volume 1
  • Alexander Burnes
  • Published online:
    05 November 2014
    Print publication:
    31 July 2014
    First published in:
    1834
  • Aged sixteen, Alexander Burnes (1805–41) took up a post in the Bombay army, and speedily learned both Hindustani and Persian. His skills led him to political work, and he himself proposed a covert expedition to Bukhara, to survey the country, but also to observe the expansionist activities of the Russians in central Asia. In 1832, he set off, with an army doctor, and two Indians as surveyor and secretary. They travelled in local dress and adopted whatever personas a situation required. Having reached Bukhara, they continued overland to the Caspian Sea, and then to Tehran, returning to Bombay by sea in 1833. This three-volume account of his adventures, published in 1834, was an instant bestseller. Volume 1 describes the journey to Bukhara, through Afghanistan into barely explored territory. Burnes continued his diplomatic activities in Afghanistan, but was murdered there by a mob in 1841.

A Dictionary, Practical, Theoretical and Historical, of Commerce and Commercial Navigation
  • J. R. McCulloch
  • Published online:
    05 June 2016
    Print publication:
    19 February 2016
    First published in:
    1832
  • A friend, correspondent and intellectual successor to David Ricardo, John Ramsay McCulloch (1789–1864) forged his reputation in the emerging field of political economy by publishing deeply researched articles in Scottish periodicals and the Encyclopaedia Britannica. From 1828 he spent nearly a decade as professor of political economy at the newly founded University of London, thereafter becoming comptroller of the Stationery Office. Perhaps the first professional economist, McCulloch had become internationally renowned by the middle of the century, recognised for sharing his ideas through lucid lecturing and writing. The present reference work, first published in 1832 and later revised, expanded and updated multiple times, made McCulloch considerable sums of money. His critical and analytical treatment of the data he had largely compiled himself made this much more than a mere book of facts. Several other works written or edited by McCulloch are also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection.

The Life of Mrs Jordan
  • Including Original Private Correspondence, and Numerous Anecdotes of her Contemporaries
  • Volume 2
  • James Boaden
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    02 August 2012
    First published in:
    1831
  • The actress Dorothy Jordan (1761–1816), contemporary of Sarah Siddons, was born in London, one of nine children. Her reputation as the greatest comic actress of her time was secured upon joining Sheridan's company at Drury Lane in 1785. Remembered particularly for cross-dressing roles such as Rosalind in As You Like It and Viola in Twelfth Night, she brought great charm and spontaneity to her interpretations. Her life off-stage was equally colourful, and she was for over twenty years the lover of William, Duke of Clarence, with whom she had ten children. This two-volume biography, first published in 1831, was written by her friend James Boaden (1762–1839), a playwright who later turned to theatrical biography. In it, he relates the extraordinary and poignant story of her life from acclaim to obscurity. Volume 2 covers her many provincial tours, her enforced separation from Clarence, retirement and self-imposed exile in France.

The Life of Mrs Jordan
  • Including Original Private Correspondence, and Numerous Anecdotes of her Contemporaries
  • Volume 1
  • James Boaden
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    02 August 2012
    First published in:
    1831
  • The actress Dorothy Jordan (1761–1816), contemporary of Sarah Siddons, was born in London, one of nine children. Her reputation as the greatest comic actress of her time was secured upon joining Sheridan's company at Drury Lane in 1785. Remembered particularly for cross-dressing roles such as Rosalind in As You Like It and Viola in Twelfth Night, she brought great charm and spontaneity to her interpretations. Her life off-stage was equally colourful, and she was for over twenty years the lover of William, Duke of Clarence, with whom she had ten children. This two-volume biography, first published in 1831, was written by her friend James Boaden (1762–1839), a playwright who later turned to theatrical biography. In it, he relates the extraordinary and poignant story of her life from acclaim to obscurity. Volume 1 covers events up to 1798, including her establishment at Drury Lane and her liaison with Clarence.

Parish Law
  • Being a Digest of the Law Relating to Parishes
  • John Steer
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    13 January 2011
    First published in:
    1830
  • John Steer (fl. 1830) was a barrister and writer on legal issues best remembered for this detailed survey of the state of parish laws in the early nineteenth century. In this period the parish was the main institution of rural administration, and parishes were responsible for both ecclesiastical and civil matters, these being administered by the parish vestry. This volume, first published in 1830, contains a clear and comprehensive review of the many laws relating to the responsibilities of the parish. Organising the text according to parish institution, Steer provides a thorough description of legislation which governs all aspects of parish activities, including the parish vestry, Poor Law and church administration, and the duties of Justices of the Peace, with the legal statutes and pertinent legal cases included. This volume was published in multiple editions during the nineteenth century, and provides a rich resource for the study of contemporary life.

Rural Rides in the Counties
  • Surrey, Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, Wiltshire,Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Somersetshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and Hertfordshire
  • William Cobbett
  • Published online:
    29 August 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1830
  • With a reported 8,000 people attending his funeral in 1835, William Cobbett (1763–1835) is remembered as one of the most vocal and committed champions of political reform in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Britain. Returning to England in 1800 from self-imposed political exile, Cobbett was deeply shocked by the advances of the Industrial Revolution. The rural culture to which he was devoted was being destroyed and, a truly modern journalist, he suddenly desired 'to see the country, to see the farmers at home, and to see the labourers in the fields'. Cobbett rode through the towns and villages of England, giving voice to the plight of the oppressed labouring classes. His observations, first published in serial form between 1822 and 1826, were titled Rural Rides. They are an elegy to traditional agriculture, and one of the most extensive social commentaries ever published on agrarian life in the early nineteenth century.

Domestic Economy, and Cookery, for Rich and Poor
  • Containing an Account of the Best English, Scotch, French, Oriental, and Other Foreign Dishes
  • Maria Eliza Rundell
  • Published online:
    05 March 2013
    Print publication:
    28 March 2012
    First published in:
    1827
  • Maria Eliza Rundell (1745–1828) was a phenomenally successful cookery writer. Originally compiled for her daughters, the first edition of this work was published in 1806, with improved and illustrated editions following regularly. It became one of publisher John Murray's chief assets, but after legal disputes between author and publisher over the profits, Rundell transferred the work to Longman in 1821; by 1849 it had reached its 73rd edition. The 1827 edition is reissued here. The book was the first manual of household management which aimed at completeness, including advice on servants, shopping with economy and attention to seasonal food, hygiene, and nutrition for children and invalids. It was much imitated, although apparently not used as a source by Mrs Beeton. It is surprisingly cosmopolitan, including French, German, Turkish and Indian recipes, and is a fascinating source for social historians on standards of living and fashions in food and entertaining.

The French Cook
  • Louis Eustache Ude
  • Published online:
    05 November 2014
    Print publication:
    17 April 2014
    First published in:
    1827
  • Little is known of the early life of the French chef Louis Eustache Ude (d.1846). He claims in this work, first published in 1813 and reissued here in its 1827 eighth edition, to have had 'upwards of forty years practice and assiduous application to the study of his profession'. The book describes him as 'ci-devant cook to Louis XVI', but the greater part of his career was spent in England. His first English employer, the earl of Sefton, paid him the considerable sum of 300 guineas a year. After twenty years, Ude moved on, to the United Services Club and then to the duke of York's household, though he was most famous for his cooking at a notorious gambling club, Crockford's, between 1828 and 1838. Ude attempts to convey to professional English cooks 'a knowledge of the science of French cookery', which he naturally regards as superior to all others.

The Cook and Housewife's Manual
  • Containing the Most Approved Modern Receipts for Making Soups, Gravies, Sauces, Ragouts, and All Made-Dishes
  • Christian Isobel Johnstone
  • Published online:
    05 May 2014
    Print publication:
    27 June 2013
    First published in:
    1827
  • Scottish writer Christian Isobel Johnstone (1781–1857) enjoyed a prolific career as a journalist and novelist. She established several periodicals with her second husband, and was the only female journalist to edit a major periodical until the 1860s. Written under the pseudonym Margaret Dods (the name of the landlady of the Cleikum Inn, in Scott's St Ronan's Well), the first edition of this housekeeping guide, published in 1826, contains not only recipes and cooking advice but also instructions for food preservation, as well as other useful domestic hints, and two pieces, probably by Scott himself, about the inauguration and the final meeting of the Cleikum Club. This second edition was published in 1827 and contains additions including a compendium of French cookery, an enhanced section on confectionery and a further 200 recipes. Several further editions were printed subsequently, providing Johnstone with a steady income for the rest of her life.

Cottage Economy
  • William Cobbett
  • Published online:
    29 August 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1822
  • William Cobbett (1763–1835) was at various times a soldier, a farmer, a radical activist and politician, and a journalist. At a time when the Industrial Revolution was dramatically changing the face of rural Britain, Cobbett was constantly concerned with improving the living conditions of the labouring classes. First published in 1821 as a series of pamphlets that sold over 30,000 copies, Cottage Economy demonstrates Cobbett's philosophy that the labourer should be taught industry, sobriety, frugality and 'the duty of using his best exertions for the rearing of his family'. With practical instructions, still relevant to those who seek to become self-reliant, Cobbett teaches the labouring classes of the nineteenth century the arts of brewing beer, keeping livestock, making bread, and 'other matters deemed useful in the conducting of the Affairs of a Labourer's Family.' Cottage Economy performs timelessly as the quintessential guide to self-sufficiency.

Gastronomy; or, The School for Good Living
  • A Literary and Historical Essay on the European Kitchen, Beginning with Cadmus the Cook and King, and Concluding with the Union of Cookery and Chymistry
  • Published online:
    05 November 2015
    Print publication:
    26 September 2013
    First published in:
    1822
  • The art of the chef and the appreciation of good food have been with us since time immemorial, as this work delightfully demonstrates. Dedicating the book to 'professors of culinary science in the United Kingdom', the anonymous author sets out to trace developments 'from the age of pounded acorns to the refinements of modern luxury'. The style is irresistibly extravagant, with vocabulary to match, introducing the reader to the concept of the 'theogastrophilist': one who makes his belly his god. This vividly enjoyable exploration of the pleasures of eating begins its account in ancient Greece, and then embarks on a culinary journey through European history, featuring the fourteenth-century French cook Taillevent, the recipe collection Le viandier that was credited to him, and John Evelyn's 1699 vegetarian treatise Acetaria. Of universal appeal, the work was first published in 1814, and ran to a second edition in 1822, which is reissued here.

Life in London
  • Or, The Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorne, Esq., and his Elegant Friend Corinthian Tom, Accompanied by Bob Logic, the Oxonian, in their Rambles and Sprees through the Metropolis
  • Pierce Egan
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    08 December 2011
    First published in:
    1821
  • Pierce Egan (1772–1849) was born near London and lived in the area his whole life. He was a famous sports reporter and writer on popular culture. His first book, Boxiana, was a collection of articles about boxing. It was a huge success and established Egan's reputation for wit and sporting knowledge. He is probably best remembered today as the creator of Corinthian Tom and Jerry Hawthorn ('Tom and Jerry'). Published in 1821 and beautifully illustrated by the Cruikshank brothers, this book is the original collection of Tom and Jerry's riotous adventures through Regency London. Its satirical humour and trademark use of current slang made it an overnight success, spawning many imitators and appearing in numerous editions. It was translated into French and inspired a number of successful stage plays that delighted audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. More recently, in 2006, an adaptation appeared on BBC Radio.

An Inquiry, whether Crime and Misery are Produced or Prevented, by our Present System of Prison Discipline
  • Thomas Fowell Buxton
  • Published online:
    05 February 2012
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1818
  • Thomas Fowell Buxton, M. P. (1786–1845) was a philanthropist who had many connections with the Quaker movement through the family of his wife, who was the sister of Henry Gurney and Elizabeth Fry. He was a passionate opponent of slavery, and campaigned to end it at a time when most British people believed that enough had been done by the abolition of slave trading in 1807. His other great interest was the punishment of crime: he wanted the death sentence abolished, and his campaign succeeded in reducing the number of capital crimes from over two hundred to eight. This book is a plea for a complete change in the purpose and operation of prisons, and an argument (still valid today) that prisons actually encourage crime and produce recidivists rather than reformed characters. Buxton draws on own his experience as a visitor to produce a harrowing account of Victorian prison conditions.

On the Principles of Political Economy, and Taxation
  • David Ricardo
  • Published online:
    05 February 2015
    Print publication:
    01 January 2015
    First published in:
    1817
  • This work, originally published in 1817, is one of the founding texts of modern economics. Enormously successful as a stockbroker, David Ricardo (1772–1823) was able to lead the life of a wealthy country squire, while his intellectual interests caused him to move in the circles of Thomas Malthus and James Mill. It was at Mill's urging that Ricardo published this book, entered Parliament in 1819 (as an independent member for a rotten Irish borough) and worked for financial and parliamentary reform. Ricardo argues in this work that Adam Smith was mistaken in his understanding of the economic significance of rent, and also demonstrates the mutual benefit of free trade between countries, as against protectionism. The book's findings and conclusions have been controversial since its publication, but led John Stuart Mill to judge Ricardo 'the greatest political economist'.

Proposals for an Economical and Secure Currency
  • With Observations on the Profits of the Bank of England, as They Regard the Public and the Proprietors of Bank Stock
  • David Ricardo
  • Published online:
    05 February 2015
    Print publication:
    01 January 2015
    First published in:
    1816
  • David Ricardo's work on currency was published in 1816, and this second edition appeared in the same year. Enormously successful as a stockbroker, Ricardo (1772–1823) was able to lead the life of a wealthy country squire, while his intellectual interests caused him to move in the circles of Thomas Malthus and James Mill. Written at the urging of the Cornish businessman Pascoe Grenfell, MP, who shared Ricardo's interest in financial matters, this work considers the problem of the national debt, in the context of paper money and whether it should in principle be exchanged at face value for gold bullion rather than for minted coins. Ricardo was very concerned at the large profits being made by the Bank of England in its dealings with the government, and suggests here the creation of an independent central bank, a proposal to which he later returned.

Conversations on Political Economy
  • In Which the Elements of that Science are Familiarly Explained
  • Jane Haldimand Marcet
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    19 August 2010
    First published in:
    1816
  • Published at a pivotal moment in the economic development of Britain, Conversations on Political Economy (1816) influenced a generation of economists, politicians and intellectuals. Employing her trademark format of dialogues between Mrs. Bryan and her pupil Caroline, Marcet introduces readers to theories surrounding property, population, and the 'condition of the poor'. Despite a target audience of young women, there is little evidence of feminine sentimentality, nor does the author's commitment to female education prevent her from propounding challenging, often controversial arguments; an approach which won her admiration. As one of her avid readers, Anne Romilly wrote, 'those, who like me know very little … are delighted with the knowledge they have acquired'. In fact, the first edition was so well received that a second was called for before the author had time to make corrections. Marcet had become, as one of her obituarists later put it, the 'instructress of a generation'.

The State of Prisons of England, Scotland and Wales
  • Not for the Debtor Only, but for Felons Also, and Other Less Criminal Offenders
  • James Neild
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    22 December 2011
    First published in:
    1812
  • James Neild (1744–1814), penal reformer and philanthropist, first became interested in the welfare of prisoners after visiting a friend jailed for debt. He went on to investigate prisons across Britain, France, Flanders, and Germany, fundraising to release those incarcerated for petty debt. In 1772 he helped establish the Society for the Relief and Discharge of Persons Imprisoned for Small Debts (the Thatched House Society), which succeeded in freeing over 16,000 debtors. Published in 1812, this work records the findings of Neild's thorough survey of debtors' prisons in Britain, and also discusses those imprisoned for other minor criminal offences. Neild exposes the harsh sentences assigned to debtors and petty criminals, using this evidence to support his campaign to improve the conditions of the prisoners and to stop imprisonment for debt. His efforts to improve the conditions of prisoners eventually influenced parliamentary reforms of the penal system.

Page 12 of 12