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Sarah Grubb (1756-90) was the eldest daughter of William Tuke, founder of the York Retreat. The Tukes were early members of The Society of Friends, or Quakers, and in 1779 Sarah became a minister herself. In this capacity she undertook extensive travels in Britain, France, Holland and Germany, both with her husband Robert Grubb and with female companions. Although childless herself, Sarah had strong views on education and she and her husband also found time to establish Suir Island Girls' School at their home in Clonmel, Ireland. Her determined dedication to her vocation, coupled with her frequent travels, quickly exhausted her and she died at the age of only thirty-four. The journals she kept were first published in Dublin in 1792. They are presented woven together with narrative to bridge gaps, and with extensive selections from her letters, to form an account of her life and work.

Patrick Colquhoun (1745-1820) was one of the founders, in 1798, of the Thames River Police. Initially a merchant based in Glasgow, he later moved to London and was appointed as a magistrate in the East End. In 1796, he published (anonymously) a report on the types of crime in the capital, and the need for regulation of the behaviour of the inhabitants to suppress it. The work examines the different categories of crime in London, such as illegal trading in the docks, fraud, burglary, and robbery. Later chapters discuss the issue of punishment as well as the changes Colquhoun believed were required in the existing police force. In this 1797 fourth edition - one of six later editions that were published by 1799 - Colquhoun added a lengthy exposition on gambling. Although many of his measures were considered unworkable, Colquhoun's ideas played an important part in the development of modern policing.

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.

Richard, Earl Howe (1726-99) participated in some of the Royal Navy's most significant conflicts. As captain of the Dunkirk, he fired the first shots of the Seven Years' War off the eastern coast of North America in 1755. After being forced to juggle the demands of the American Revolutionary War with the British government's reluctance to put the ships he needed at his disposal, he resigned his command of the North American Station, but later made a comeback, masterminding the battle against the French on the 'Glorious First of June' in 1794. Prolific author Sir John Barrow (1764-1848) drew on more than 400 of Howe's personal letters in preparing this substantial biography, first published in 1838. Several of Barrow's other works have also been reissued in this series, including his autobiography and accounts of the early years of polar exploration.

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. Volume 1 (1838) covers the period 1741-59, although most of the letters date from 1754 onwards. Pitt's early political career saw him launch attacks on Sir Robert Walpole, contributing to the latter's resignation in 1742. Once Pitt had himself taken up the reins of power, the annus mirabilis of 1759 marked a high point of his wartime strategy.

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.

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. Volume 3 (1839) covers the period from 1766 through to November 1770. Following Rockingham's resignation in July 1766, Pitt accepted a peerage and became the Earl of Chatham, forming a new ministry that lasted until 1768. As prime minister, he was constantly troubled by longstanding health problems.

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. Volume 4 (1840) covers the period from November 1770 until Pitt's death in May 1778. Despite his retirement and deteriorating health, he continued to take an active interest in politics, writing to his many correspondents on a wide range of subjects, notably the unfolding American Revolution.

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.

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 5 (1771) covers the momentous period following the execution of Charles I in 1649 through to the restoration of the monarchy in 1660.

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 6 (1781) covers the reign of Charles II up to the end of the Third Anglo-Dutch War in 1674.

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 7 (1781) deals with the period following the end of the Third Anglo-Dutch War in 1674, extending to the trial and execution of Algernon Sidney in 1683.

Born into the theatre, though originally intended for Catholic holy orders, John Philip Kemble (1757-1823) made as great a name for himself on the English stage as his gifted older sister, Sarah Siddons. Known for his mastery of tragic Shakespearian roles, among which Coriolanus was deemed his finest, Kemble also distinguished himself as acting manager at Drury Lane under Sheridan. Described by Sir Walter Scott as 'grave, critical, full and laudably accurate', this extensive two-volume biography was the work of James Boaden (1762-1839), an author well acquainted with the foremost theatrical personalities of his day. Boaden's biographies of Sarah Siddons, Elizabeth Inchbald and Dorothy Jordan have also been reissued in this series, along with his edition of David Garrick's correspondence. Volume 1 of the present work covers Kemble's career through to his first season in charge at Drury Lane in 1788-9.

Born into the theatre, though originally intended for Catholic holy orders, John Philip Kemble (1757-1823) made as great a name for himself on the English stage as his gifted older sister, Sarah Siddons. Known for his mastery of tragic Shakespearian roles, among which Coriolanus was deemed his finest, Kemble also distinguished himself as acting manager at Drury Lane under Sheridan. Described by Sir Walter Scott as 'grave, critical, full and laudably accurate', this extensive two-volume biography was the work of James Boaden (1762-1839), an author well acquainted with the foremost theatrical personalities of his day. Boaden's biographies of Sarah Siddons, Elizabeth Inchbald and Dorothy Jordan have also been reissued in this series, along with his edition of David Garrick's correspondence. Volume 2 of the present work opens with the season of 1789-90 at Drury Lane and closes with the text of Kemble's will.

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.

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.

Widely credited as having established the term 'industrial revolution' as a historical concept, Arnold Toynbee (1852-83) was among the most outspoken political economists of the nineteenth century. This volume is a collection of his Balliol lectures and other public addresses, originally published posthumously in 1884. The lectures, often humorous, discuss developments in contemporary political economy, the views of other commentators, and the impact on society of this new discipline; viewed as a collection, they represent one of the first calls for economic history as an academic subject to be studied separately from political history. Given during the early 1880s, the popular addresses treat some of the most important economic topics of the day, from the role of trade unions to the relationship between wages and production. Also included in this book are a preface by the author's wife, and a memoir by his friend and colleague, Benjamin Jowett.

Montagu Pennington (1762-1849) published this account of the life and work of the English poet and classicist Elizabeth Carter (1717-1806) in 1807. Carter first made her name in 1758 through her English translation of the work of the Greek Stoic philosopher Epictetus, for which she was acclaimed by Samuel Johnson as the 'best Greek scholar in England'. Carter also published numerous essays, articles, and translations and was an influential member of the Blue Stockings Society; later in life, she became an evangelical Christian. This volume vividly recounts her education, life, and scholarly work. Being based on her own personal papers and letters, and containing a number of Carter's poems, notes and articles, the work is an invaluable source for the life of a remarkable eighteenth-century woman. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=cartel

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.

John Evelyn (1620-1706), a founder member of the Royal Society, was a horticulturalist and author, best remembered for his diaries. Throughout his prolific writings he exhibits a strong distaste for the corruption of life at court. The beautiful and pious Margaret Godolphin (1652-78), a courtier more than thirty years Evelyn's junior, with whom he struck up an intense friendship in 1672, was maid of honour in the household of Queen Catherine, wife of King Charles II. To Evelyn she represented the antithesis of the corruption he despised. Written as 'a record of her perfections' following her death in childbirth, this hagiographic biography reflects the extent of Evelyn's devotion. Left among his unrevised manuscripts, it was not published until 1847, nearly two centuries after its composition. Edited by the bishop and orator Samuel Wilberforce (1805-73), the work includes helpful notes and genealogical tables that elucidate the text.

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.

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.

Regarded as a founder of modern conservatism, Edmund Burke (1729-97) proved an influential yet controversial writer and politician. Although sympathetic towards American colonists in their grievances against British rule, he was later appalled as the French Revolution unfolded. Published in 1790, when the Revolution was still young, this is Burke's most well-known work and remains a classic of Western political thought and rhetoric. He predicts the excesses that will follow the destruction of the institutions of civil society, and the inevitable rise of a corrupt and violent government rather than a protector of citizens. When she read the famous passage describing her flight from Versailles, Marie Antoinette was apparently moved to tears. Sparking a flurry of responses in defence of the Revolution and its ideals, including Thomas Paine's Rights of Man (also reissued in this series), Burke's polemic remains a crucial text in the history of modern political philosophy.

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 expose of the failures of the capital's care system, as well as a testament to the influence of philanthropic activism.

A friend of Wilberforce and Bentham, Sir Samuel Romilly (1757-1818) combined considerable legal expertise with commitment to progressive political causes such as the abolition of the slave trade. During his time in Parliament - he was Solicitor General in Lord Grenville's 'Ministry of All the Talents' - he sought to lessen the archaic severity of English criminal law regarding corporal and capital punishment. Though he met with resistance, his efforts raised awareness and influenced later reforms. Compiled by his sons and published in 1840, this three-volume collection of autobiographical writings and varied correspondence illuminates the development of his outlook and the principles which guided him. Volume 3 contains the concluding part of Romilly's diary of his parliamentary life, covering the years 1812-18. Also included are private memoranda which Romilly described as observations on his 'situation in life and future prospects'.

A friend of Wilberforce and Bentham, Sir Samuel Romilly (1757-1818) combined considerable legal expertise with commitment to progressive political causes such as the abolition of the slave trade. During his time in Parliament - he was Solicitor General in Lord Grenville's 'Ministry of All the Talents' - he sought to lessen the archaic severity of English criminal law regarding corporal and capital punishment. Though he met with resistance, his efforts raised awareness and influenced later reforms. Compiled by his sons and published in 1840, this three-volume collection of autobiographical writings and varied correspondence illuminates the development of his outlook and the principles which guided him. Volume 2 comprises selected correspondence for the period 1792-1802, the diary of a visit to Paris in 1802, an unfinished narrative of personal events in 1805, and Romilly's diary of his parliamentary life between 1806 and 1811.

A friend of Wilberforce and Bentham, Sir Samuel Romilly (1757-1818) combined considerable legal expertise with commitment to progressive political causes such as the abolition of the slave trade. During his time in Parliament - he was Solicitor General in Lord Grenville's 'Ministry of All the Talents' - he sought to lessen the archaic severity of English criminal law regarding corporal and capital punishment. Though he met with resistance, his efforts raised awareness and influenced later reforms. Compiled by his sons and published in 1840, this three-volume collection of autobiographical writings and varied correspondence illuminates the development of his outlook and the principles which guided him. Volume 1 includes Romilly's two-part narrative of his life from 1757 to 1789, letters about English affairs sent to his brother-in-law in Lausanne (1780-3), letters from eminent friends such as the French revolutionary Mirabeau (1783-7), and selected correspondence with the Genevan writer Etienne Dumont and others (1788-91).

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 antiquarian and topographer John Britton (1771-1857) is best remembered for his multi-volume series of The Beauties of England and Wales. A self-taught author and scholar, he was attracted by the work of John Aubrey (1626-97), who was born in the same Wiltshire village as him, and had very similar interests as an antiquarian and biographer, famous for his Brief Lives and for his surveys of and writings on Avebury and Stonehenge. Britton's research on Aubrey's life induced him to write a fresh account, using surviving manuscripts as well as printed sources, which would clear up the contradictions and errors of earlier versions. This 1845 book is a fascinating portrait of a sickly child who ended up a pauper because of family debts and lawsuits, but was a diligent and intelligent scholar, scientist and occultist, and a close friend of Thomas Hobbes and Robert Hooke.

The diary of John Rous (1584-1644) was edited for the Camden Society in 1856 by Mary Anne Everett Green (1818-95). Rous kept this diary between 1625 and 1643, when he was vicar of Santon Downham in Suffolk, recording both local events and reports of momentous happenings in Britain and abroad from Charles I's accession to the outbreak of the Civil War. M. A. E. Green was educated by her father, a Methodist minister, and began research on historical topics in the British Museum Reading Room and other London archives. She was recommended to Sir John Romilly as an external editor for the Calendar of State Papers project, and was the first to be appointed: her work became the standard which later editors followed. Rous's diary is preceded by an introduction placing its author in his family and historical context, and Green's notes explicate references to the people and events described.