England in the Eighteenth Century

The Pelican History of England #7

by J.H. Plumb

This history of England in the 18th century is not a chronological narrative of ministries and wars, but a history of the development of English society; the ministries and wars, of course, have their place, but no greater a place than the economic, cultural, and social history of the time. The book is divided into three the ages of Walpole, of Chatham, and of Pitt.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, British Literature, Politics, 18th Century

Paperback

First published January 1, 1950

About the author

Sir John (Jack) Harold Plumb FBA (20 August 1911 – 21 October 2001) was a British historian, known for his books on British 18th-century history.

During the Second World War, Plumb worked in the codebreaking department of the Foreign Office at Bletchley Park, Hut 8 and Hut 4, later Block B. He headed a section working on a German Navy hand cipher, Reservehandverfahren.

Reviews

[Owen Hatherley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The History of England is not one of the best remembered Pelican series, and in this one you can see why - the sort of history where 'we' is throughout used for the British state - but such nice covers.

[Nikhil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't think much of its treatment of wider social, cultural, and economic trends, but I read the book to get a concise telling of the major political machinations of the day and that's what I got.

[Simon Mcleish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog here in August 1998.

This book, covering the reigns of the first three Georges (1714-1820), is perhaps the least successful in the Pelican History of England. The brevity of its coverage (imposed as a series restriction) is the main cause of this. There were many important developments during the eighteenth century involving - and frequently commencing in - Britain, not just in the social and economic spheres (the events collectively referred to as the Industrial Revolution) but in the political arena as well (the French and American revolutions and the development of British rule in India spring to mind).

The century saw so many developments important to the way we live now that they can only be sketched in brief in a book of this length. To try and get round this, Plumb assumes that his readers will have at least some sort of basic familiarity with the political history of the period, if not the social and economic. Thus, one section of the book is entitled "The Age of Chatham", yet he omits to mention that Pitt and Chatham are one and the same; so one who did not know this, it would not become obvious until the paragraph in a later section detailing the rise of his grandson, Pitt the Younger.

As the background to English affairs becomes more complex and more international, short paragraphs explaining the European situation are not enough to put its influence on them into context. This book cannot, like the earlier members of the series, be read as an introduction to a period; it is more a useful summary and a reminder to those who have already read more on the eighteenth century.

[Charles Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a detailed book, but provides a good outline of its subject. The approach is, of course, a bit dated, but I actually found Plumb's no-nonsense style quite refreshing.

My knowledge of 18th century history was a bit vague and disjointed; reading this book has given me more of a framework to hang names and events on.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great little history book in the History of England series from the 1950s. It covers the period of 1714 to 1815 in which you can learn about Robert Walpole, John Wesley, George III and John Wilkes, both William Pitts, the Industrial Revolution,the American Revolution, the French Revolution, India, Ireland, Nelson, Napoleon and Wellington and more to boot.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good summary of the social and political forces shaping England in the 18th century. At times it is too brief for my taste in that my background was too limited to be able to follow brief discussions, particularly of political machinations. His descriptions of the beginnings of the industrial revolution and the ways in which people lived were the most memorable sections.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a good overview of the 18thc, but I did feel it was rather too brief, and was assuming prior knowledge. However it did a lot to interest me in the period, and I feel I have a better grasp of the century now.