Manchester University Press
1 A monstrous plant
Abstract
In 1628, a writer called Richard Rawlidge published a pamphlet with the eye-catching title A Monster Late Found Out and Discovered. That monster was drunkenness. According to Rawlidge, England was suffering from an explosion of social disorder caused by a dramatic rise in the number of alehouses springing up across the country. Much of the legislation which had been passed in Rawlidge's lifetime was designed to shore up the power of local magistrates who had been tasked with using their licensing powers to control excessive drinking. The development of a public discourse on drink, in which drink was identified as a specific social ‘problem’ in both literature and legislation, accompanied the spread of the Reformation. This is not to say that there was a direct causal link between the rise of Protestantism and the earliest appearance of the drink question. This chapter discusses drunkenness in early modern England, drink and popular festivities, the development of the alehouse, drunkenness as a ‘monstrous plant’, and drink as a political threat.
Abstract
In 1628, a writer called Richard Rawlidge published a pamphlet with the eye-catching title A Monster Late Found Out and Discovered. That monster was drunkenness. According to Rawlidge, England was suffering from an explosion of social disorder caused by a dramatic rise in the number of alehouses springing up across the country. Much of the legislation which had been passed in Rawlidge's lifetime was designed to shore up the power of local magistrates who had been tasked with using their licensing powers to control excessive drinking. The development of a public discourse on drink, in which drink was identified as a specific social ‘problem’ in both literature and legislation, accompanied the spread of the Reformation. This is not to say that there was a direct causal link between the rise of Protestantism and the earliest appearance of the drink question. This chapter discusses drunkenness in early modern England, drink and popular festivities, the development of the alehouse, drunkenness as a ‘monstrous plant’, and drink as a political threat.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- Introduction 1
- 1 A monstrous plant 5
- 2 Healths, toasts and pledges 21
- 3 A new kind of drunkenness 34
- 4 The politics of sobriety 51
- 5 A fascinating poison 59
- 6 Ungovernable passions 73
- 7 Odious monopolies 80
- 8 The last tyrant 96
- 9 A monstrous theory 109
- 10 The State and the trade 130
- 11 Central control 150
- 12 The study of inebriety 161
- 13 The pub and the people 180
- 14 Prevention and health 199
- 15 Beer orders 216
- 16 Drinking responsibly 233
- Conclusion 249
- Bibliography 263
- Index 278
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- Introduction 1
- 1 A monstrous plant 5
- 2 Healths, toasts and pledges 21
- 3 A new kind of drunkenness 34
- 4 The politics of sobriety 51
- 5 A fascinating poison 59
- 6 Ungovernable passions 73
- 7 Odious monopolies 80
- 8 The last tyrant 96
- 9 A monstrous theory 109
- 10 The State and the trade 130
- 11 Central control 150
- 12 The study of inebriety 161
- 13 The pub and the people 180
- 14 Prevention and health 199
- 15 Beer orders 216
- 16 Drinking responsibly 233
- Conclusion 249
- Bibliography 263
- Index 278
