Calendar of State Papers (Domestic Series) of the Reign of Anne preserved in the Public Record Office

Abstract

The appearance of this volume, which covers the period from May 1704 to October 1705, suggests that one of the great publishing projects of the late nineteenth century—the publication of the CSPD from Henry VIII to Queen Anne—might one day reach fruition. The present volume begins when the High Tory Earl of Nottingham was abruptly sacked as secretary of state and was replaced by the ‘moderate’ Tory, Robert Harley. It was a period which was to produce Marlborough's greatest victory at Blenheim in August 1704 and the laying of the foundations for the Act of Union, which would be completed in 1707. The volume boasts impeccable editing for the press by C.S. Knighton and a comprehensive introduction by Clyve Jones. Just as the powers of the secretaries of state were wide-ranging, so any student of early eighteenth-century history will find materials of use within the volume.