The British Armed Nation, 1793-1815

This book deals with the impact of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars on the British Isles. Previous work has concentrated on the ideological formations associated with the French conflict, especially anti-revolutionary loyalism and ideas of Britishness. Here, Dr Cookson provides a new perspective on the social response to the demands of war, through a detailed examination of the mobilization of armed force for the regular army, militia, and volunteers in response to the French encirclement of Britain and Ireland. Dr Cookson's study sheds interesting light on the nature of the British state and the extent of its dependence on society's self-organizing powers. He uses the evidence on mobilization to show the differences in the nature of state and society in various parts of the British Isles, and examines the impact on Scottish and Irish identities within the unions. In England, he shows how mobilization often owed more to working-class pragmatism and the `town-making' interests of urban rulers than to national defence patriotism. The result is a fascinating `war and society' study which is also a significant contribution to urban history.

Review :
`In The British Armed Nation, we have at last dsecured a pulication which does justice to the enormous military efforts made by successive British governments during the wars against revolutionary and Napoleonic France. ... Among the strengths of Dr Cookson's work is the first full discussion of the volunteering movemnet for home defence. ... This work should be essential reading for anyone who has an interest in the wartime events in any portion of Great Britain and Ireland and should be of particular interest to historians of Scotland.' R.M.Sunter, Scottish Historical Review, Vol LXXIX, 2:No. 208:Oct 2000. `Cookson presents us with a fascinating and delicately shaded picture of the distribution of power within the British Isles and the complex nature of wartime patriotism. This is a book that should be required reading for every historian of eighteenth-century Britain.' Stephen Conway, War in History, 2000, 7 (3). `This is an impressive book, the fruit of many years research in archives across the British Isles, which makes an important contribution to ongoing debates about the nature of the eighteenth-century British society.' Stephen Conway, War in History, 2000, 7 (3). `it is a significant work which needs to be noticed for the benefit of those with an interest in the Napoleonic and Revolutionary wars.' Bob Wyatt, Bulletin of the Military History Society `valuable scholarly account.' Jeremy Black, Military History `one of the most fascinating aspects of this work is Cookson's account of the differential impact of the demand for manpower on the Celtic fringe ... This is a significant work and it is essential reading for anyone interested in the nature of the Hanoverian state and, taken together with his previous work - Lord Liverpools's Administration (1975) and The Friends of Peace (1982) - reinforces the impression that Cookson is one of the most important historians at work in this field today.' Stephen M. Lee, History `persuasively argued and well substantiated, based partly on the author's own researches and partly on the contribution of other recent historians ... a valuable contribution to the historiography on Hanoverian Britain, and greatly enriches our undertstanding of the impact of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars on British government and society.' Jeremy Whiteman, NZ Education Review `This book packs a great deal of information into a small space. The impressive research (particularly in local archives), careful thought, analysis, and suggestive comments make it invaluable for understanding the wars, the nature and operation of British government, state formation, and nationality within the United Kingdom.' Neville Thompson, American Historical Review `J.E. Cookson's masterly account of the problems confronting and the solutions adopted by Pitt and his subordinates and successors in the protracted crisis of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars reveals many surprises. The book is valuable as an addenda and corrective to much of the new work being done in eighteenth and early nineteenth centuery British history. But it is more than that. Cookson ranges widely over social, economic, cultural and political issues. Unexpectedly, Cookson's look at the three kindoms at war provides us with a window into the souls of nations.' Ellis Archer Wasson, Albion