Religion, Revolution and English Radicalism: Non-conformity in Eighteenth-Century Politics and Society

by James E. Bradley

• ISBN13: 9780521890823
• ISBN10: 0521890829
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-06-20
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

In the age of the American Revolution, the political issues surrounding John Wilkes, the colonies, and parliamentary reform agitated the nation, and recent studies of party ideology and voting behavior have shown how these national issues divided England. But subsequent work on the peerage and Anglican political theory has depicted a more placid, deferential populace. This book engages the discussion by drawing attention to the social and political activities of the English Dissenters. The Nonconformists' legal standing, social status, and political behavior help illumine a number of unexamined causes for both the social stability and the political stresses of Hanoverian England. Legal inequities provoked strong opposition to the government's American policy from the dissenting elite, and while the ministers' publications suggest the depth of popular discontent, previous accounts have been unable to show how popular sentiment was transformed into radical behavior. By comparing sermons, political pamphlets, and election ephemera to poll books, city directories, and baptismal registers, this book offers an integrated approach to the study of ideology and behavior.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
List of Tables, Figures, and Maps	xvii
Abbreviations	xx
An Introduction to Religion in Eighteenth-Century Political Culture	1	(48)
Nonconformity, Pro-Americanism, and the Evolution of English Radicalism	7	(11)
Nonconformity, Whig Historiography, and Party Continuity	18	(13)
Religion, Social Class, and Economic Motivation in Modern English Society	31	(8)
Political Ideology, Political Behavior, and Historical Method	39	(10)
PART ONE THE LEGAL STATUS, SOCIAL STRUCTURE, AND IDEOLOGY OF NONCONFORMITY
Nonconformity, the Law, and Society	49	(42)
The Law and the Unity of `the Dissenting Interest'	50	(11)
The Social Status and Social Equality of Dissent	61	(8)
The Corporation Act and the Practice of Occasional Conformity	69	(11)
The Test Act and the National Government	80	(4)
The Legal Sources of Dissenting Politics	84	(7)
Nonconformity in Politics: Influence and Independence	91	(30)
The Demography of Dissent and Parliamentary Politics	92	(4)
Dissenters and Electoral Politics: Deference, Influence, and the `Water Spout of Freedom'	96	(10)
The Dissenters and Political Independence	106	(7)
The Dissent-Low-Church Alliance and Whig Parties in the Constituencies	113	(5)
The Social Sources of Dissenting Politics	118	(3)
The Dissenting Pulpit, Political Ideology, and American Independence	121	(38)
The Eighteenth-Century Pulpit	122	(5)
The Dissenting Pulpit and Dissenting Ideology	127	(6)
The Philosophical and Theological Sources of Dissenting Politics	133	(9)
Natural Right, the Ancient Constitution, and English History	142	(5)
American Resistance: `One of the Best Causes in the World'	147	(7)
The Justice of Resistance to Unlawful Authority	154	(5)
The Dissenting Pulpit and Political Radicalism in England	159	(36)
Opposition to the King and Government	159	(8)
The Dissenting Pulpit and the Relationship of National to Local Politics	167	(7)
The Dissenting Pulpit on Social Stratification and Political Oppression	174	(8)
The Dissenting Pulpit, Independence, and Deference	182	(3)
Practical Strategies for Reform Through Associations and Petitions	185	(4)
The Influence of Dissenting Ideology on Elections	189	(6)
PART TWO POLL BOOKS, PARLIAMENTARY POLITICS, AND NONCONFORMITY
The Dissenting Interest and the American Crisis in Bristol	195	(29)
Bristol, Burke, and the Origins of the Whig Interpretation of Party	196	(7)
Local Politics and National Issues	203	(2)
The Local Framework: Chapels, Clubs, and Societies	205	(4)
The National Framework: Contests, Candidates, and Political Issues	209	(11)
The Religious and Social Dimensions of Party	220	(4)
The Dissenting Vote and Electoral Independence in Bristol and Great Yarmouth	224	(31)
The Electoral Behavior of the Dissenting Laity in Bristol	226	(13)
The Electoral Behavior of the Dissenting Laity in Great Yarmouth	239	(4)
Political Consistency, Socio-economic Status, and Religion	243	(12)
Deference and the Dissenting Vote in Newcastle, Liverpool, Hull, and Colchester	255	(60)
Newcastle upon Tyne and Secular Radicalism	255	(3)
Political Issues, Local and National	258	(4)
The Ideology of Radicalism	262	(3)
Electoral Behavior in Newcastle	265	(9)
Liverpool, Sir William Meredith, and the Rockingham Whigs	274	(5)
Popular Political Ideology in Liverpool	279	(4)
Party Politics without Party Organizations	283	(6)
Kingston upon Hull and Corruption	289	(3)
David Hartley and his Constituents	292	(6)
Colchester and the Congregationalists	298	(11)
Charismatic Leadership and Parliamentary Elections	309	(6)
PART THREE PETITIONS FOR PEACE, NONCONFORMITY, AND POPULAR POLITICS
The Petitions of 1775: Popular Politics and the American Crisis	315	(45)
The Petitioning Agitation of 1775	316	(10)
Petitions and Public Opinion	326	(4)
The Leadership and Organization of Popular Politics in 1775	330	(7)
The London Association and Newcastle upon Tyne	337	(5)
Liverpool and the Lancashire Petition	342	(4)
The High Church and Local Politics in Coventry	346	(3)
Nonconformity and Local Politics in Colchester, Taunton, and Nottingham	349	(9)
Charismatic Leadership and Popular Politics	358	(2)
The Petitioners of 1775: Law, Social Status, and Religion	360	(50)
Corporations and Custom-Houses	361	(10)
Popular Politics and Socio-economic Rank	371	(14)
Religion, Revolution, and Radicalism	385	(10)
Eighteenth-Century Political Structures and the Failure of Dissenting Leadership	395	(4)
The Interdependence of Religious and Economic Motivation	399	(11)
Conclusion	410	(21)
Appendix 1: Nominal Record Linkage and Letter Cluster Sampling	431	(5)
Appendix 2: Occupational Structure and Socio-Economic Standing	436	(11)
Bibliography: Manuscript Sources and Poll Books	447	(6)
Index	453