3 A new kind of drunkenness
-
James Nicholls
Abstract
Culture, not drink per se, has moulded the drink question in England. The ‘gin craze’ represents a change of emphasis in this regard. The feverish public debate on gin was shot through with anxieties over class, the economy, national identity, and the protection of moral norms. Over time, gin exposed fundamental contradictions at the heart of the new market economy of which London was the crucible. As levels of drunkenness continued to rise a small but well-organised group of campaigners led by Thomas Wilson, the Bishop of Sodor and Man, the physician Stephen Hales and Sir Joseph Jekyll, MP for Reigate, began to lobby for a radical and previously untried strategy: gin legislation which was ‘in its nature a prohibition’. Both Wilson and Hales built many of their arguments around the language of disease. The effects of the 1736 Gin Act were a salutary lesson for those who felt that the practical difficulties of prohibition were surmountable. Prohibition also provided the opportunity for Robert Walpole's political opponents to exploit legislation widely perceived as an attack on individual liberty.
Abstract
Culture, not drink per se, has moulded the drink question in England. The ‘gin craze’ represents a change of emphasis in this regard. The feverish public debate on gin was shot through with anxieties over class, the economy, national identity, and the protection of moral norms. Over time, gin exposed fundamental contradictions at the heart of the new market economy of which London was the crucible. As levels of drunkenness continued to rise a small but well-organised group of campaigners led by Thomas Wilson, the Bishop of Sodor and Man, the physician Stephen Hales and Sir Joseph Jekyll, MP for Reigate, began to lobby for a radical and previously untried strategy: gin legislation which was ‘in its nature a prohibition’. Both Wilson and Hales built many of their arguments around the language of disease. The effects of the 1736 Gin Act were a salutary lesson for those who felt that the practical difficulties of prohibition were surmountable. Prohibition also provided the opportunity for Robert Walpole's political opponents to exploit legislation widely perceived as an attack on individual liberty.
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
