Fear of a ‘Catholick League’ May have Brought Woe to Admiral Byng

The Pope in the mid-eighteenth century had nothing on Empress Maria Theresa.[1] The outcome of the War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748) ensured that she would rule the Holy Roman Empire for the next three decades. Britain helped, but that alliance meant little to the queen when the next war came around. Catholicism began to drive the empress’ foreign policies forward. When tensions renewed between Great Britain and France, Empress Maria Theresa began to rework

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“Wonders of Surry!” Exploring Broadsheet Ballads from the mid-Eighteenth Century

With over 260-million views on YouTube, Donald Glover’s (aka Childish Gambino) “This is America” actually repeats history. By that I mean to state that Glover is using song and wit to tell a story.[1]  As a cultural historian, I appreciated Glover’s approach to satirize deep-seeded problems in American society. But the expression of topics in musical form is nothing new.

 

Buying Honesty? Predicted back in 1701

The practice of “spinning” a story, or aiming for a particular narrative (during my lifetime), had grown exponentially to the point where I tossed out my television back in 2003. Yep, no cable, no satellite, and I’m proud of my

 

“I Think My Eyes Are Leaking”: I’m getting a book deal!

Emails crossing the Atlantic indicate I am to be an author. Routledge, a “Global publisher of quality academic books…” based out of London, gave me the good news late today. Now I don’t know what else to type. A soon to be “author” and I’m at a loss for words. Ha!

Oh, wait – I do have one word:

 

Hooked on a trial: the court-martial of Admiral John Byng

Last week I found myself growing ever more addicted to the research on Admiral John Byng’s trial. I have notes on this trial dating back to 2009. I have not seen some of my own research regarding Byng’s court-martial since 2014, the year I turned in my dissertation. Back then, I turned in four chapters none of which approached

 

Rumblings… come on peers, cut me a break! (pretty please?)

A flurry of emails crossing the Atlantic of late. My book proposal submitted to Routledge (London-based) was passed on to peers a couple of months back. The peer reviews are starting to come in.

Amazingly, I seem

 

Conference Reflection, PCCBS 2018

This past weekend I made the seven-and-a-half hour drive to Goleta, CA, the home of the University of California Santa Barbara. This is where the Pacific Coast Conference of British Studies (PCCBS) was held. Here are some thoughts leading up to, during, and post-conference.