PETER COLLINGE and LOUISE FALCINI (eds), Providing for the Poor: The Old Poor Law, 1750–1834

Abstract

This genuine fear was stirred by propaganda which focused on the uncivilised Scottish Highlander and the return of punitive Catholicism to British shores which seeped deep into the English public consciousness. Even though Oates looks at the Jacobites through an English Hanoverian lens, his work does show that Jacobitism was not just ‘a sideshow’ but was a central concern which threatened the core British values and traditions held by thousands of ordinary English people. In line with recent Jacobite historiography this work shows that the Jacobite rebellions are significant events in eighteenth century British history. However, most importantly for Jacobite scholars, this work highlights the failure of the Jacobites to win the hearts and minds of the English people. This, for me, is the most significant aspect of the book. Even when the Jacobites entered Preston in the ‘15 or took over the garrison of Carlisle in the ‘45 there were numerous acts of resistance and refusals to comply with Jacobite orders. Where people did comply, it was usually under duress. Judging by the evidence that Oates has uncovered through vast archival research it shows that the English people had an overwhelmingly negative attitude towards the Jacobites, from Sussex to Newcastle and from Dorset to York. Therefore, even if Charles Edward Stuart and his army had chosen to continue onwards towards London, it is doubtful whether the Stuarts would have been restored at all. As many of the contemporary sources in this volume highlight, a fullblown civil war would have been more likely. This book shows widespread support for the Hanoverian regime across England during the 1715 and 1745 Jacobite rebellions. However, its underlying themes and conclusions are far more important as they provide new perspectives on the relationship between the English people, Jacobitism and the Hanoverian state.