English Aristocracy Research Articles

The birth of the deep state

A number of political scientists believe that the ‘deep state’ originated simultaneously with the state itself. But in fact, the authors of the article prove that the first effective ‘deep state’ in modern history appeared in England during the time of Henry VIII. Then, having nationalized the church, the king added to his powers the right to create and interpret norms. In response, reacting to the imbalance of the political system created by the king, the English aristocracy set out to control the monarch. The newly created network of influence was based on corruption: belonging to it guaranteed, to an official in the king’s service, additional benefits and career perspectives. The mean of internal control of the network was ‘ritual compromising evidence’, when other members witnessed the violating of generally accepted norms and rules. This guaranteed that in case of betrayal the reputation and future of any potential renegade would be destroyed. However, this triggered the processes of ‘normalization of violations,’ which culminated in the Cromwellian revolution and the Westminster Confession, which not only nullified out all compromising evidence, but also abolished the concept of sin in general. After recovering from the upheaval, England managed to summarize and theorize its experience. In the following century, it started to extrapolate it to France, which was its main geopolitical rival, mastering the techniques of cognitive programming. The same processes, that had spontaneously developed in England a century earlier, were launched in France, but in a controlled and guided form. England managed to create its own ‘deep state’ in France, which, in fact, inspired and supported the French Enlightenment by introducing into the public discourse concepts, which were in fact, cognitive operators: their implementation led to the natural conclusion of the backwardness of France compared to England. At the same time, the ‘deep state’ became a stable construct: thus, classical institutionalism assumes it as an integral part of the secular political system. In particular, this was realized, and promoted as a norm, by J.-J. Rousseau. The authors draw a number of conclusions on the construction of the deep state. It is always a network of influence, an alternative to power, which actively uses corruption as an instrument of stimulation and employs compromising evidence as an instrument of control.

British Aristocracy and Christian Zionism: The Case of Lord Shaftesbury VII

Bu çalışma 19. yüzyıl İngiliz Evanjelizminde kök salan siyonist fikirlerin politik sahada etkili bir argümana dönüşmesini dönemin sosyopolitik kamusunda yer alan önemli aristokratlarından Lord Shaftesbury’i merkeze alarak incelemektedir. Dindar bir Evanjelik Hıristiyan olan 7. Lord Shaftesbury Ashley Cooper’ın fikir, inanç, politik eylem ve etkilerinin dikkate alınmasının Hıristiyan siyonizminin İngiliz siyasetine verdiği şekli ortaya koymak açısından açıklayıcı olacağı düşünülmektedir. Çalışmamızın temel sorusu “19. yüzyıl İngiliz siyasetinde belirginleşen Hıristiyan siyonizminin kökeni nedir ve bu teopolitik ideolojinin güç kazanmasında dahli olan aktörlerden Lord Shaftesbury’nin rolü ve faaliyetleri nelerdir?” olarak belirlenmiştir. Bu çalışmayla dünya siyonizmi açısından bir dönüm noktası olarak değerlendirilen Balfour Deklarasyonuna giden yolda İngiliz teo-politik çerçevenin aydınlatılmasına katkı sunmak hedeflenmektedir. Çalışmamız Hıristiyan siyonizminin İngiliz politik çevrelerinde nasıl inşa edildiğini Lord Shaftesbury’nin hatıratından hareketle doküman incelemesini esas alarak tasvirî analizle ortaya koymaktadır.

Post-racial politics and the mandate to desire: interracial love as liberation in Bridgerton

ABSTRACT Shonda Rhimes’ latest televisual sensation updates her post-racial and post-feminist fantasies for a post-Trump world. Discarding her trademark colorblind casting, Bridgerton confronts racial tensions and gender disparities within a fanciful reimagining of the aristocracy of colonial Britain. Yet, in a move familiar to longtime viewers of Shondaland, the means of resistance to such injustice is gratuitous displays of interracial relationships. Bridgerton constructs a historical fantasy that centers authentic love and desire as the exclusive mechanism for constructing a post-racial and post-feminist society. Through love, the English aristocracy is transformed into a permissive, racially inclusive matriarchy wherein one’s duty is to live and love authentically. While previous scholarship has contextualized Rhimes’ work within neoliberalism, I argue that the racial and gendered politics of Bridgerton are more adeptly understood through Fisher’s theory of capitalist realism, which describes contemporary capitalism’s investment in mystifying authority and equating authentic consumption with identity construction.

VERBALISATION OF MASCULINITY IN THE PROTAGONISTS OF J. AUSTEN’S NOVEL «PRIDE AND PREJUDICE»

The purpose of the presented study is to analyse the speech behaviour of the young men — the protagonists of J. Austen’s novel “Pride and Prejudice”, Charles Bingley and Fitzwilliam Darcy, in order to identify the manifestations of the linguistic “patriarchy” in the English aristocratic society of the nineteenth century. The object of the study was the different types of masculinity embodied in the characters of Bingley and Darcy in the context of the novel, and the subject was the linguistic manifestations of masculinity stereotypes in the behaviour of the male protagonists. The study results show that Darcy and Bingley represent two different types of masculinity: the traditional stereotype of an English aristocrat, refined and delicate, is presented in Bingley’s speech behaviour; Darcy’s behaviour at the beginning of the novel illustrates the traditional stereotype of masculinity, and at the end, certain transformations of this stereotype are noticeable, which are due to the protagonist’s love, as well as good upbringing, including the example of his father, who was a role model for his son. As a result, Darcy listens to his feelings and makes an offer to a girl from a poor family, which was not typical for the wealthy aristocrats of English society in the nineteenth century, preferring a happy future to material values. The protagonist performs deep introspection, which results in his sincere apology for his behaviour at the beginning of his relationship with his beloved girl. The prospects of the research are seen in the further study of stereotypes of femininity and masculinity on the basis of texts of both national and foreign women’s prose.

A reconsideration of the economic decline of the British aristocracy 1858–2018

Abstract Historical accounts of the British aristocracy argue its economic decline was owed to anachronistic characteristics, declining land values, and inheritance taxes. We find disconfirming evidence based on the hereditary peerage's probates 1858 to 2018, showing: decline only began after World War I; no links between aristocratic wealth and farmland prices; and a greater role for tax avoidance with respect to inheritance taxes. Aristocrats also followed the rich with their share of wealth dwindling over the 20th century. Together, these arguments suggest the British aristocracy detached economic interests from status characteristics enabling them to persist more effectively than previously thought.

The Man with Jane: Another Look into Bellamy’s Kitchen

The Man with Jane: Another Look into Bellamy’s Kitchen William F. Long (bio) “The House” and “Bellamy’s,” two sketches by Boz published in the Evening Chronicle on 7 March and 11 April 1835 respectively, contain short, vivid descriptions of some dozen unnamed parliamentarians.1 Their subjects are likely to have been readily recognized by many contemporary readers.2 Seven “originals” were named in 1954 (Carlton) and the identity of a further three suggested more recently (Long). In the present paper, another of the subjects and the circumstances in 1835 which made him noteworthy are considered. The Man with Jane The subjects of Boz’s descriptions, in addition to members of parliament, included the staff of Bellamy’s kitchen, the refreshment-room which served both Houses of Parliament.3 Here, in the second of the sketches, he remarks [End Page 239] on Jane, the “Hebe” of the establishment, who is attending a man the identity of whom has not previously been established: Have you observed the delicate flirtation she has been carrying on with that young man, who displays a large quantity of hair under the back of his hat? He is a constant visitor here, possesses an enviable facility of dispatching brandy and water, and is nearly related to the noble leader of a “section” of the House. Observe the glee with which she listens to something he mutters somewhat unintelligibly in her ear (for his speech is rather thick from some cause or other), and how playfully she digs the handle of a fork into the arm with which he detains her; by way of reply. The man glimpsed flirting with Jane, then, is described by reference to a near relation, who is “the noble leader of a ‘section’ of the House.” This description deserves attention. Characteristics of the Near Relation First, Boz uses the term “the House” in the two sketches to signify specifically the House of Commons. Second, his use of “section” to denote a grouping within it is unusual. “Party,” “faction” or perhaps just “group,” depending on the context, are more common usages. Boz gives some emphasis to the name chosen, perhaps with a hint of irony, by placing it in inverted commas. Third, Boz refers to the head of this group as its “noble leader.” In the parliamentary context of the sketch, this descriptor is not a complimentary comment on the leader’s character. Instead it implies that he is a nobleman. The English nobility, then and now, comprises immediate families of peers. The latter are those who bear a title (duke, marquess, earl, viscount or baron) inherited from an immediate antecedent or bestowed directly by the monarch. Until recently all peers were eligible to sit in the House of Lords.4 In contrast, members of the nobility generally, then and now, have courtesy titles, or honorifics, and are eligible to be elected to sit in the House of Commons. With these points in mind, we may now consider the possible identity of the near relation of the young man glimpsed with Jane. [End Page 240] Groups and their Leaders in the Commons Readily discernible parliamentary groups in the mid-1830s comprised Whigs, Conservatives, Tories, Irish members, and Radicals. The Whigs and the Conservatives/Tories were led in the Commons by Lord John Russell and Sir Robert Peel respectively. The small but influential group of Irish members was led by Daniel O’Connell. The Radicals’ particularly vocal members, for example, Joseph Hume and William Cobbett, might arguably be said to have “led” opinion within this group of otherwise independently operating individuals. Of those mentioned, only Russell and perhaps Peel, as nobleman and near-nobleman respectively, qualify as possible candidates for the role of “near relation” of the man in Bellamy’s. Russell bore the courtesy title “Lord” by virtue of being the son of a peer (the sixth Duke of Bedford), and was formally referred to in the Commons as “the noble lord.” Peel had inherited the baronetcy of his father and was therefore a member of the “gentry,” a grouping at the lower border of the nobility. He was usually referred to as “the honourable baronet,” but also, very occasionally, as...

James Tissot: peintre de la vie moderne (1836-1902) par Olivier Deshayes

Reviewed by: James Tissot: peintre de la vie moderne (1836-1902) par Olivier Deshayes Catherine Gaughan Deshayes, Olivier. James Tissot: peintre de la vie moderne (1836-1902). L'Harmattan, 2021. ISBN 978-2-343-23931-6. Pp. 200. The chouchou of the British aristocracy, James Tissot emerges in this fascinating study as an artist known for his eclectic and modern style. Unlike some of his more academic colleagues, Tissot traveled the world for inspiration with his companion and muse, Kathleen Newton, and the book traces his journeys exploring the various locations that influenced his style and unique approach to painting. Considered one of the most "English" of French painters of the nineteenth century, Tissot left an indelible mark on the artworld, in particular through the ways in which we understand narrative paintings and historical evocations, and is also remembered as a savvy salesperson who knew the value of his work. Written in French in a style that is both informative and engaging, the chapters trace Tissot's inspiration that spans the gamut from the Middle Ages to photography and naturalism. Deshayes divides his study of Tissot's contribution to painting into three specific periods: his time spent in Paris between 1859 and 1870; then in London 1871-1882, concluding with the death of Kathleen Newton; and finally, his work dedicated to religious imagery of the Old and New Testament as a result of several trips to the Middle East. The examples throughout the book provide a deeper understanding of the modernity of Tissot's themes exploring his London period and his feminine portraits, with particular attention to one of his most acclaimed paintings: La Dame à l'ombrelle (pictured on the cover), dating from around 1880-1882. Deshayes' analysis emphasizes the significance of this work from Tissot's technique to his choice of colors, as well as the demand for portraits from a social class concerned with image, perhaps not unlike our current obsession for the selfie today. Overall, a well-researched book with several illustrations, it also takes into account Tissot's interest in Japan as an avid collector of Japanese objects and works of art which can be seen in his own paintings' involving images of geishas, kimonos, and tatami, amongst others. The epilogue underlines the continued interest in Tissot as an artist, citing the current monetary value of his paintings and his ongoing influence on contemporary artists. An enjoyable read, the book gives a glimpse into the life and times of an artist whose works are frequently exhibited in England and the United States while still not widely recognized in France. It would be of interest to art historians and scholars of French painters alike. [End Page 211] Catherine Gaughan Toronto Metropolitan University (Ontario, Canada) Copyright © 2023 American Association of Teachers of French

The history behind Bridgerton

While the Bridgerton () series does not present itself as historically accurate, shows set in the past always lead to historical questions. In this article I argue for using fictional historical series as a tool in the classroom and to engage with the public. Bridgerton is a useful entrée into topics it emphasizes, such as the British aristocracy, fashion and design, courtship and marriage and the British colony of India, as well as those that it ignores: male monarchy, patriarchy, singleness and Atlantic slavery.

Inside the History Lab

For more than two hundred years the Elgin Marbles, pictured on the cover of the March 2023 issue of the American Historical Review, have been the subject of one of the longest transnational cultural disputes in the world. Named after the British aristocrat who oversaw their removal from the Parthenon in what was then Ottoman-controlled Athens, they have been in the collection of the British Museum in London since the early nineteenth century. Beginning in the 1830s, the Greek government asked the British to return the marbles. Those Greek demands have continued to the present day, but the British have been steadfast in their insistence that the marbles were legally acquired and have refused to return them. Very recently, however, a new set of high-profile negotiations between Greece and Great Britain over the Elgin Marbles may finally bring this impasse to an end.1 If the parties do reach a settlement, it would come in the wake of a transformative set of campaigns beginning in the 1970s for the cultural restitution of objects brought to Europe and the United States in and after the era of high imperialism. In Germany, Belgium, France, and the United States, several museums have returned more than a thousand looted artifacts known as the Benin Bronzes to Nigeria. French and American museums are beginning to return stolen Khmer antiquities under pressure from the Cambodian government. Protocols have emerged in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and at the United Nations for the return of Indigenous cultural property and remains to tribes and First Nations.2

Romantic objects, Victorian collections: Scribal relics and the authorial body

AbstractOver the course of the nineteenth century, literary manuscripts came to be seen as tangible evidence of the creative process and as a key to the personality of the author. The material traces of writing were understood to outlive their creators and promise to resurrect the authorial body through the magic of the relic. This article reconstructs how authorial script gradually transformed into a collectible object pursued as a memento and a commodity. Letters, drafts, and fair copies by major modern writers found their way into the collections of British aristocrats and American industrialists at the same time that hunting for literary autographs diversified into a middle‐class pursuit. Surveying recent scholarship on nineteenth‐century collecting and material culture, the essay offers a condensed cultural history of the literary manuscript as a collectible and draws attention to how collectors and collecting feature in fictional texts of the period. It focuses on the artefactual mobility and custodial afterlives of Romantic papers in Victorian literature and culture, exploring a form of collecting which crossed boundaries between periods and national literary traditions.

И.С. Тургенев — читатель драмы Э. Бульвера-Литтона «Деньги» (по материалам библиотеки писателя)

The article is devoted to Ivan Turgenev’s perception of English literature. The study focuses on the dramatic works of Bulwer-Lytton, which became the Russian writer’s main object of attention in the first half of the 1840s. The research material was taken from the personal library of Ivan Turgenev. His notes (ink marks and nail strikes) left on the separate text of the “Money” play (1841) are analyzed. They allow one to reconstruct a full picture of Turgenev’s perception. Edward Bulwer-Lytton was a real reformer of the English theatre who aimed at loading the melodrama seen on stage with ethical and social issues. Ivan Turgenev interpreted the “Money” play as a “manual” and an important source for a theoretical and practical study of dramatic art. The “Money” text revealed to the Russian author the daily life of the English society, in which a conflict unfolded on the basis of social and moral contradictions. Turgenev was particularly interested in the first two acts of the play. He was moving along the path of assimilation of the main image-symbol (this is confirmed by Turgenev’s notes). The writer refers to moments of the implementation of the money motive as the main one in the life of every member of society and of the society as a whole. He was interested in the figure of Sir John as a representative of the English aristocracy with his own “life philosophy”. In the course of careful reading, Turgenev highlights the idea of how financial solvency replaces personal dignity taking the scene of Statute and Glossmore fighting for a place in the Parliament an example. Turgenev found the fate of Clara and Evelyn particularly important in the world of distorted values. Turgenev paid special attention to the lyrical manifestations in the female character, and to the ironic nature of a male one. Graves, a character who was responsible for the comic component in the play, also aroused Turgenev’s interest.

Loveday, 1458

The Loveday of 1458 (also known as the Annunciation Loveday)[1] was a ritualistic reconciliation between warring factions of the English nobility that took place at St Paul's Cathedral on 25 March 1458. Following the outbreak of the Wars of the Roses in 1455, it was the culmination of lengthy negotiations initiated by King Henry VI to resolve the lords' rivalries. English politics had become increasingly factional during his reign, and was exacerbated in 1453 when he became catatonic. This effectively left the government leaderless, and eventually the King's cousin, and at the time heir to the throne, Richard, Duke of York, was appointed Protector during the King's illness. Alongside York were his allies from the politically and militarily powerful Neville family, led by Richard, Earl of Salisbury, and his eldest son, Richard, Earl of Warwick. When the King returned to health a year later, the protectorship ended but partisanship within the government did not. Supporters of King Henry and his Queen, Margaret of Anjou, have been loosely called "Lancastrians", the King being head of the House of Lancaster, while the duke and his party are considered "Yorkists", after his title of Duke of York.[note 1] By the 1450s, York felt increasingly excluded from government, and, in May 1455—possibly fearing an ambush by his enemies—led an army against the King at the First Battle of St Albans. There, in what has been called more of a series of assassinations than a battle, the personal enemies of York and the Nevilles—the Duke of Somerset, the Earl of Northumberland, and Lord Clifford—perished. In 1458 the King attempted to unite his feuding nobles with a public display of friendship under the auspices of the Church at St Paul's Cathedral. Following much discussion and negotiation, and amid the presence of large, armed, noble retinues which almost led to another outbreak of war, a compromise was announced. To celebrate, a procession was held by all the major participants, who walked hand-in-hand from Westminster Palace to St Paul's Cathedral. Queen Margaret was partnered with York, and other adversaries were paired off accordingly, and the sons of the dead Lancastrian lords took their fathers' places. Certain reparations were ordained, all by the Yorkist lords, who for their part accepted full responsibility for the Battle of St Albans. They were ordered to make payments to the dead lords' widows and sons, and masses were paid for the souls of all who had died. Contemporaries varied in their views of the accord. Some wrote verses expressing hope that it would lead to a new-found peace and prosperity; others were more pessimistic as to its value. In the long run, the King's Loveday and its agreements had no long-lasting benefit. Within a few months, petty violence between the lords had broken out again and, within the year, York and Lancaster faced each other at the Battle of Blore Heath. Historians debate who—if anyone—actually gained from the 1458 Loveday. On the one hand, the crown publicised its role as the ultimate court of appeal but, conversely, although the Yorkists were bound to pay large sums in compensation, this was done with money already owed by the government. Fundamentally, factional discord was highlighted on the public stage, and the war it was intended to prevent was only deferred.

Seed Lists: Information Maintenance and a Woman’s Work in Early Modern Global Exchanges

Abstract: As Europe saw an increase in newly known plants, the seed list format was employed to make specimens legible across an informal network for botanical exchange. This article explores the medium specifications of the format and a rich repository of these lists, compiled by the English aristocrat Mary Somerset (bap. 1630–1715), who dedicated much of her time to maintaining the flows of information that seed lists mediated. This will show the work required to make exchanges meaningful and useful, the credibility and authority this could grant to a woman like Somerset, and, significantly, the importance of maintenance in transforming mobile units of information scattered across the world into something we call knowledge.

Szatańskie wersety. Juliusz Słowacki i Zygmunt Krasiński wobec "Kaina" George’a Gordona Byrona

Lord Byron's Cain in the reception of Polish Romantics was sometimes overshadowed by other works of the English aristocrat: poetic novels, Manfred and Don Juan. The aim of this article is to indicate possible connections between Cain and Juliusz Słowacki's Kordian and Zygmunt Krasiński's Irydion. The basis for such a juxtaposition is the presence of the figure of the devil in each of these works – Lucifer, Satan, Mephistopheles and Masynissa, respectively. The analysis of satanic themes, particularly the relationship between humans and demons, the strategy of temptation, the role of rationalism, and images of God, based on close reading and the use of the English-language version of Byron's drama, points to the very high probability that Polish authors played an intertextual game with Byron's work – albeit one conducted at a time when both were making their first attempts to free themselves from the spell of Byronism, which largely shaped Polish Romanticism in its early phase.

Politics of Archaeology in the Late Ottoman Empire: The Case of a British Aristocrat

Politics of Archaeology in the Late Ottoman Empire:The Case of a British Aristocrat Özge Aslanmirza (bio) KEYWORDS Mark Sykes, archaeology, Britain, Ottoman Empire, Middle East Mark Sykes was an eminent British diplomat and agent, known today largely for the Sykes-Picot Agreement (1916), which led to the partition of the post-Ottoman Middle East. Indeed, he was an active figure in the creation of the Mandate regimes in the region after the end of the First World War. He was also known as a member of Parliament and specialist on the Middle East due to his frequent travels, although he was a lay scholar. He had attended diverse schools, both in Britain and abroad, and he had dropped out of Cambridge University. Nevertheless, he was passionate and curious about history, politics, archaeology, geography, and linguistics. His aristocratic background provided him with numerous opportunities, including travelling and conducting amateur research in the Middle East. By combining his diverse abilities, political connections and immense interest in the Middle East, he would become one of the most influential figures in British politics and foreign policy. This article will explore Mark Sykes' use of archaeology as a political tool, based on archival sources; namely, The Papers of Mark Sykes, a collection currently held at Hull University. I made use of the microfilm versions of these documents from the Turkish Historical Foundation. Alongside this, I benefited from the archival sources at the Hull History Centre, and the Prime Ministry Ottoman Archives (Başbakanlık Osmanlı Arşivi). Sykes was the son of a "world wanderer" and trader, who was himself particularly fascinated by the Middle East. In his youth, he had read popular Orientalist books, such as Richard Burton's translation of the Arabian Nights,1 as well as travelled with his father, Tatton Sykes, to the Middle East; later, he would be fascinated by his Cambridge professors' knowledge of antiquity. As [End Page 261] may be gleaned from Mark Sykes' writings, his father was familiar with the local people of the Middle East. For instance, in 1888, when he made his trip to Egypt, Sykes stated that he learned about the antiquities of the region from the Sirdar Lord Greenfell,2 who had close relations with the Sykes family. In the biography of Mark Sykes written by his grandson, Christopher Simon Sykes, he conveys that during Mark Sykes' journeys in the Levant, "he befriended the sheiks of different tribes, who told him of the local sights, kept him fed and watered, and more importantly gave him their protection."3 A year later, when he went to Jerusalem, Sykes related that "one of the old Sheikh Fellah recognized me and shouted to the crowd that I was his son."4 This example indicates the close relationship between Sykes and the locals. Although the travel notes of Tatton Sykes have not survived to the present day, it is likely that Mark Sykes' father was engaged in intelligence gathering activities, which would influence the later career of his son. Like his father, Mark Sykes was able to travel safely in different regions throughout the Middle East. He worked for a long time with an experienced dragoman, named İsa Kıbrıslı, who knew the region well. Kıbrıslı was an experienced guide, who had previously been employed by "Lord Chelmsford in the Abyssinian campaign and accompanied Sir Charles Wilson to Mount Sinai."5 The journey which is the subject of this paper took place when he was nineteen years old, in 1898. This was also the time when small scale explorations were transforming into more systematic and larger-scaled ones.6 Thus, the case of Sykes fits into the zeitgeist of the era, particularly considering his further investment in politics began with his journeys to the Middle East for the purposes of knowledge gathering. The original notes kept during the journey, as well as his related sketches, are among the Papers of Mark Sykes catalogued under the title of 'Journey from Jericho to Damascus.' His notes and observations were originally published as an article in the 1899 issue of Palestine Exploration Quarterly, the journal of Palestine Exploration Fund.7 The PEF is important in the...

Minatory Monsters for Turbulent Times: “The devil in the shape of a great fish” that presaged the English Civil War and other piscatorial prodigies

Monsters, by the Latin definition of their name, are omens that portend turbulent times. The pamphlet A Relation of a terrible Monster called a Toad-fish, published in London in 1642, told of “a fiend, not a fish; at the least a monster, not an ordinary creature” which had become entangled in a fishing net and then put on display in London. The creature was described as resembling a giant toad, with a wide, toothy mouth and human characteristics of ribs, hands, and fingers. Discovery of the Thames monster instilled a sense of worry throughout the realm. The landing of the “Toad-fish” was linked in the tract to a bloody encounter that occurred between two well-known members of the British aristocracy fighting on opposing sides at the onset of the Civil War. The present paper describes how this vernacular publication was part of a flourishing of providential pamphlets in the 17th century wherein natural anomalies were invested with wider ecclesiastical and political meaning. Also undertaken herein is a review of various candidate species from which to suggest that the mysterious Toad-fish may have been another example of the angelshark’s (Squatina squatina) monstrous alter ego. This is an animal that has previously been suggested as being responsible for the ‘sea monk’ noted in several prominent natural histories of the Renaissance.

Juliusz Słowacki in the Holy Land in 1837

ABSTRACT The Polish poet Juliusz Słowacki (1809–1849) travelled through Palestine between 2 January and 27 January 1837, from El-Arish on the southern border with Egypt, at that time quarantined owing to plague, to the area around Lake Tiberias in the north, which had just been devastated by a strong earthquake. A detailed analysis of the itinerary of this pilgrimage has made it possible to establish new circumstances and topographical facts. The poet’s recently discovered personal diary (Raptularz Wschodni) contains hitherto unknown observations and drawings by the author himself. Together with his other travel notes and recollections in his letters, they constitute an invaluable basis for a new account of how and where he wandered, and where he stayed and spent the night. The published accounts of other 19th-century travellers in Palestine have helped establish further details: three Polish Roman Catholic priests, two French intellectuals, and the English aristocrat and globetrotter G. Robinson, as well as site views by D. Roberts. The traditional and often erroneous identification and dating of the sites visited by Słowacki have been verified on the basis of scientific historical and archaeological research as well as the author's own observations in situ in Israel and her interviews with Franciscan archivists. As far as the extensive modern Polish literature on this journey concerns, the novelty here lies in identifying features in three of Slowacki’s drawings and determining the places where the poet stayed in the Franciscan hospices in Ramla, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth.

The Black Prince, the Trinity, and the Art of Commemoration

The Black Prince, eldest son of Edward III and heir to the English throne until his death in 1376, was known to have been particularly devoted to the Trinity. As well as commissioning Trinitarian images in his lifetime, the art and material objects made to memorialise the Black Prince after his death, notably the tester above his tomb in Canterbury Cathedral and an illumination in a manuscript copy of a poem celebrating his life and military victories, continued to emphasise his connection to the Trinity. Drawing on evidence for the prince’s personal devotional practices in life, as well as the commemorative projects commissioned after his death, this article argues that Trinitarian imagery was employed to construct a distinctive memory of the Black Prince, one that served to bolster the claims of his son Richard II. A reconsideration of the dating of the tester and other Trinitarian images associated with the prince’s memorialisation repositions Richard’s agency over the shaping of his father’s material legacy, suggesting these grand commissions formed part of a wider strategy to emphasise Plantagenet sanctity and authority at a time of increasing instability in the Ricardian court. The article concludes by considering the impact of the Black Prince’s memorialisation on funerary culture more broadly, arguing that it played a key role in introducing the Trinity as a devotional subject on the brasses and monuments of the English nobility.

The Mitford Voice: A Diachronic Inquiry into the “Upper-Crust” Accent of the Mitford Sisters

Abstract The present paper sets out to investigate whether the conservative or upper RP accent of selected elderly speakers, namely three of the Mitford sisters, all members of the English aristocracy, manifests change or diachronic stability and uniformity over time. The typical conservative RP features looked for were: the LOT-CLOTH split, absence of the CURE-FORCE merger, SQUARE vowel realised as diphthong /εə/, SMOOTHING, KIT vowel in unstressed ending syllables and TRAP vowel realised as /æ/ instead of /a/. The procedure of the study consisted in the identification of the presence or absence of these specific features in the speech of three selected speakers in recordings made over, at least, a 15-year time span. The individuals studied were: Lady Mosley (née Diana Freeman-Mitford), Jessica Lucy Freeman-Mitford and Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (née Deborah Vivien Freeman-Mitford). The results of these comparisons suggest that elderly upper RP speakers are not highly influenced by changes in pronunciation taking place around them and mostly maintain the preferred pronunciation of their youth. In some cases, however, a general uncertainty amongst speakers of the accent, here detected in the presence of the CURE-FORCE merger, does affect the speech of individuals over the course of time.

Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited: Sites of Memory and Tradition

In this article, it is my intention to analyse two theoretical notions related to space, namely Pierre Nora’s idea of the site of memory and Gaston Bachelard’s thoughts on space and the house, as applied to Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited (1945). I base my analysis on the symbolic value of the English country house with regard to the interwar English aristocracy and upper classes as depicted in this novel; that is, as a site of memory. I consider the point of view of three characters: Charles Ryder, the novel’s first-person narrator, Lord Sebastian Flyte, Ryder’s intimate friend, and Lord Marchmain, Sebastian’s father, who triggers the novel’s sudden and unexpected ending through his deathbed conversion to Roman Catholicism, his family’s creed. My conclusion links the decline of aristocratic and Christian ideals with the disappearance of communities of memory and their traditions after the Second World War.