The practice of irregular and clandestine marriage ran rampant throughout Britain for centuries, but when the upper class felt they needed to reassert their social supremacy, marriage was one arena in which they sought to do so. The restrictions placed on irregular marriages were specifically aimed at protecting the elite and maintaining a separation between themselves and the lower echelon of society. The political, social, and economic importance of marriage motivated its regulation, as the connections made with the matrimonial bond did not affect only the couple, but their family, and, possibly, their country. Current historiography addresses this issue extensively, particularly in regards to Lord Hardwicke's Marriage Act of 1753 in England. There is, however, a lack of investigation into other groups that influenced and were influenced by the English approach to clandestine marriage. The Scots, Irish, and British military all factor into the greater landscape of clandestine marriage in eighteenth-century Britain and an investigation of them yields a more complete explanation of marital practices, regulations, and reactions to both that led to and stemmed from Hardwicke's Act. This explanation shows the commonality of ideas among Britons regarding marriage and the necessity of maintaining endogamous unions for the benefit of the elite.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

This thesis addresses how female beauty was understood in the eighteenth century and aims to build on and expand the existing scholarship from Robert Jones, Tita Chico, Tassie Gwilliam, G. J. Barker-Benfield and Naomi Baker, amongst others. Each of these scholars has discussed various areas of beauty, including taste, cosmetics, sensibility, gender and, for Baker, the opposite to beauty, ugliness. Building on these areas of study, this thesis will address the concept of beauty in both its physical and moral sense. That is, the connection of the beautiful body with the ideas or associations it has come to signify. For example, the beautiful female body usually informs readings of virtue, morality, goodness, but, in some cases, beauty can be read as wantonness, immorality and foolishness. In order to navigate these contradictory associations, the thesis has been split into category chapters and divided into two parts. The first part will examine beauty's physiognomic origins, its role in aesthetic philosophy, and its artistic expression. In the second part, with a more literary focus, the concept of beauty will be discussed in connection to its moral associations, the effects of cosmetics and health, and how concerns for reading the body are considered in the mid-century's moral novels. The evidence for the thesis will include various types of literature, including scientific and artistic treatises, fairytales, letters, advertisements, recipe books, cosmetic manuals, poetry and prose fiction. Although the scope of this thesis is wide reaching, the relationship between the body and mind, that is, the legibility of the inner qualities on the external signs of the body, remains very much at its centre. These numerous and varying examples have been chosen to demonstrate how influential this connection really was in the period, and how it informs the understanding of female beauty in the eighteenth-century.

Rituals surrounding death were social in addition to being religious. Virginians conveyed the status of the deceased through funerals, burials, gravestones, commemoration, and mourning. But these customs greatly differed according to gender, both in what they consisted of and who was responsible for carrying them out. This thesis examines wills, diaries, correspondence, grave markers, prints, and newspapers of eighteenth-century Virginians, which demonstrate the differences in the death customs of men and women. Because of men’s involvement in public activities like business and politics, they gave greater forethought into how acts of remembrance would reflect their positions. Women’s duties were centered on the home and family. This resulted in less elaborate death customs as well as greater responsibility for appropriately attending to the remembrance of others. Despite the overwhelmingly private nature of women’s funerals and burials, gravestones, death notices, and the responsibilities of widowhood briefly brought women into the public realm.

Protestant Dissenters launched a campaign for Test Act repeal in 1786 that encountered strong opposition. Half a century later a second campaign inconspicuously secured repeal whilst the established Church was preoccupied with the problem of Catholic emancipation. Historians have examined the political narrative of both campaigns and the theories of toleration propounded by some Dissenters. However, little attention has been paid to the symbolic importance of the Test Acts, which Dissenters considered as badges of their exclusion from national citizenship. This thesis will examine the language of the repeal campaigns as a window into wider notions of citizenship and national identity. The resultant picture of Dissenters' identities and the larger national identities that they contested makes it possible to problematise and refine Linda Colley's Britons: Forging the Nation, which expounds a pan-Protestant, anti-Catholic, British national identity. Protestantism and anti-Catholicism were indeed central to the language of the debate, but this language marginalised Dissenters as often as it included them. Several Dissenters therefore united with a parallel Catholic campaign for toleration, whilst very few united with their fellow-Protestant Churchmen against the Catholic threat. The Dissenters' strategies reveal the ambiguity of their relationship to the nation: they were usually seen by Churchmen as marginalised or subordinate though less so than the Catholics. Moreover, overlooked divisions between evangelical and old Dissent, and between Trinitarian and Unitarian Dissent, led different sections of Dissent to pursue different strategies according to their perception amongst Churchmen. Notions of national identity and citizenship were changing in this period, particularly as a result of the French Revolution and wars. Both Test Act repeal and Catholic emancipation may be situated within long-term processes of state-building and nation-building. Older notions of national identity endured to a greater extent than has been recognised, but adapted to these processes by becoming more inclusive and assimilative. Though Test Act repeal and Catholic emancipation granted Dissenters and Catholics similar rights, because of the enduring importance of Protestantism to British national identity Test Act repeal signified Dissent's integration into the nation in a way that Catholic emancipation did not for Catholics.

This thesis examines the influence of Galen (b. 129 AD) on medicine in England between 1618 and 1794, approaching the study of his authority and the use of his work through three case-studies: histories of medicine, pharmacology, and surgery. The histories of medicine illustrate the variety of ways in which Galen is referred to, both as a historical figure, and as an ongoing contemporary influence. His importance in terms of accessing the knowledge of the ancients, and as a fixed point in time around which to discuss the history of medicine, and to situate other practitioners over a broad time period, underlines the significance of his role within medicine. Similarly, the pharmacological texts examined provide a more tangible sense of the influence of Galen, and their varied, but formulaic structures enable specific remedies to be traced over time and their corresponding associations and details compared between different editions. Identifying the role of Galen within surgical treatises also allows for a more theoretical aspect of surgery to be explored, providing a different perspective on an area more frequently portrayed as a manual art. The use of Galenic texts within each case-study, in particular the histories of medicine, demonstrates a significant and nuanced engagement with the content of his works, reiterating the importance of his contribution, and showing the value ascribed to the simplicity offered by past approaches. It is evident that a shift had occurred from the acceptance of ancient authority based on convention, to evaluating the simplicity and utility of information on an individual basis. The value ascribed to utility in the assessment of medical knowledge is evident throughout these texts, which also demonstrate the importance of the experience and observations of the practitioner in facilitating the ongoing and significant use of the influence of Galen.

The end of the eighteenth century witnessed an imaginative mass migration as authors wrote about withdrawing from society. This thesis traces the origins of 'Romantic reclusion' in the works of Cowper and Wordsworth, particularly Cowper's poem The Task and Wordsworth's unfinished masterwork The Recluse, which epitomise the tradition. Romantic reclusion differs from 'solitude' and 'retirement' in that its motives were social. Cowper and Wordsworth wrote about withdrawing in order to criticise the increasing commercialism and competition they saw in British society. Both poets imagined seceding into a community of individuals who would care for a shared set of values, envisaging this as a form of non-violent political protest leading to reform. The thesis builds on recent studies of Romantic community, and develops Raymond Williams's cultural criticism, to refute the New Historicist position that Romantic writing elides history. It proceeds by historicising Cowper's and Wordsworth's concepts of reclusion, tracing echoes of their extensive reading about this subject in what they wrote. Romantic reclusion emerges as an artistic attempt to defend the individual against the dehumanising effects of contemporary society. Its aims can be grouped under four interrelated headings-'creative', 'medical', 'political', and 'natural'-which form the basis of the chapter divisions. Chapter One argues that Cowper and Wordsworth both presented Milton as a precedent for their poetic reclusion. They withdrew from literary society and cut themselves off from the diction of eighteenth-century poetry, because they believed that it turned words into luxury items which could only be purchased by the imaginations of a few. Cowper's translations of Madame Guyon and Wordsworth's modernisations of Chaucer both attempted to develop a plain style which would unite a wider, non-hierarchical community of readers. Chapter Two explores the origins of Cowper's reclusion in his spiritual crisis of 1763-5. Beginning with a study of medical books owned by Cowper's doctor, Nathaniel Cotton, it argues that Cotton regarded Cowper's illness as a product of eighteenth-century models of sociability. Both Cowper and Wordsworth employed Robert Burton's concept of 'Honest Melancholy', or sorrow for the state of one's country, to critique social competition and call for new models of community. Chapter Three examines Cowper's and Wordsworth's presentations of reclusion as the best response to the violence of the American and French Revolutions. Drawing on the works of Classical and modern historians, both poets argued that political revolutions would only succeed once individuals learned to renounce self-interest and govern their selfish passions. The 'retired man' becomes the unexpected political hero of The Task, which in turn forms the basis for Wordsworth's conception of The Recluse. Finally, Chapter Four explores Cowper's and Wordsworth's interests in natural theology, arguing that both poets built on the works of writers including Calvin, David Hartley, and Joseph Butler to explain the psychological mechanism by which reclusion in nature could help to reform the mind, eliminating the selfish passions and teaching individuals to live in an active, mutually responsible community.

Dans cette thèse, nous nous proposons d’étudier la figure de fray Juan Agustín Morfi, franciscain né à Oviedo (Asturies) en 1735 et mort à Mexico en 1783.Au fil de notre étude, nous verrons que Morfi est un personnage incontournable dans le panorama culturel novo-hispanique de l’époque, mais aussi qu’il est introduit dans la sphère politique par Théodore de Croix, récemment nommé Commandant Général des Provinces Internes du nord de la Nouvelle-Espagne, qui lui demande de l’accompagner dans une expédition de reconnaissance de ces territoires. Morfi part donc de México le 4 août 1777 pour n’y revenir qu’en juin 1781. Ce voyage représente un tournant décisif dans sa vie car il lui permet d’asseoir sa notoriété et de développer sa production écrite de façon significative. En effet, le franciscain va pouvoir mettre à profit l’ensemble de ses connaissances sur des sujets très variés en faisant preuve d’une grande prolixité. L’étude des textes nés de sa participation à l’expédition de De Croix va nous permettre de révéler sa personnalité, sa façon de pensée, les réseaux dans lesquels il s’insère (la Confrérie d’Aránzazu de Mexico puis la Real Sociedad Bascongada de Amigos del País), mais également un travail approfondi sur l’écriture, passant ainsi de simple voyageur à auteur à part entière.Par ailleurs, nous verrons ici que le réseau personnel de Morfi ainsi que les idées qu’il exprime dans sa vaste production écrite font de lui un homme dont l’ancrage est à la fois péninsulaire et novo-hispanique et le digne représentant de l’esprit des Lumières. / With this thesis, we will study the figure of fray Juan Agustín Morfi, a Franciscan born in Oviedo (Asturias) in 1735 and who died in Mexico in 1783.Trough this research, we will observe that the friar Morfi is a preponderant man in the cultural panorama of th eighteenth-century New Spain, but also that he is introduced in the political sphere by Theodore de Croix, newly named Commandant General of the Provincias Internas in the northern part of New Spain, who asked him to participate to an expedition in order to explore these territories. Morfi leaves of Mexico in 1777, August 4th and returns in june 1781. This journey represents a turning point in his life, strongly establishing his reputation, and also his written production. Actually, the friar will turn to good account his knowledge with an incredible prolixity. Studying the texts that come about thanks to his participation in De Croix’s expedition, we will be able to see who he really was, how he tought, how he inserted himself in networks (such as the Brotherhood of Aránzazu of Mexico and the Real Sociedad Bascongada de Amigos del País). As well, we will observe Morfi’s work on writing, making himself an author in the fullest manner possible for this status.Furthermore, we will see that Morfi’s personal network, as well as the ideas he expressed in his large written production, reveal that he was a man with references of both Spain and New Spain, and a worthy representative of the Enlightment.

O século XVIII foi um período de grandes mudanças na estrutura social e econômica vigente. Como conseqüência, a forma de organização do espaço de moradia também se alterou. Houve uma reordenação do espaço doméstico com a criação de lugares privados dentro e fora da casa e a valorização dos jardins ao redor das grandes propriedades rurais inglesas. A ascensão da nova classe média e um crescente interesse pela introspecção e privacidade propiciaram a formação destes espaços reservados ao isolamento. A partir do surgimento do romance na primeira metade do século XVIII, o espaço doméstico viu-se valorizado e descrito com mais atenção na narrativa literária. Este cuidado em retratar a vida doméstica na literatura surgiu a partir do desejo de representar a vida dos homens comuns de modo mais autêntico. Em Pamela, romance do escritor inglês Samuel Richardson publicado pela primeira vez na Inglaterra em 1740, observamos esta ênfase no espaço interior do recolhimento e da introspecção. A relação que se estabelece entre as personagens e o espaço dentro do romance é vital para a construção do enredo. / Great social and economic changes were brought about in the eighteenth-century causing, among other alterations, the rearrangement of the living spaces in the houses. This reorganization of the domestic space was responsible for the creation of private spaces inside and outside the great English country houses together with an improvement in the surrounding gardens. At that time the new middle classes were gaining more and more political and economic power and developing a taste for privacy, which required the creation of specific places inside and outside the houses for the enjoyment of the pleasures of isolation and introspection. With the rise of the novel in the first half of the eighteenth century, this domestic space was also valued, pictured and described with more attention in literature. This increasing interest in the domestic life is associated with a wish to portray the everyday lives of ordinary men with greater authenticity. In Pamela, a novel by Samuel Richardson published for the first time in England in 1740, this emphasis in the private space of isolation and introspection is clearly depicted. The deep correlation between space and characters in the novel is vital for the development of the plot.

A historiografia local, ao longo de vários anos, tem creditado à produção de açúcar e a aos engenhos, e posteriormente às usinas, o papel preponderante na formação da sociedade alagoana de uma forma geral, inclusive de sua materialidade. Entretanto, fontes documentais do século XVIII demonstram que, ao menos nesse período, outros agentes contribuíram intensamente, com igual, ou talvez maior, importância no processo de urbanização de Alagoas. Em um único manuscrito, localizado na Biblioteca Nacional, por exemplo, a quantidade de fazendas de gado é mais do que o dobro do número de engenhos. Outro aspecto que este mesmo documento demonstra é a coexistência de diversas atividades em uma mesma região, contradizendo a espacialização produtiva afirmada pela historiografia. Neste sentido, a presente tese consiste em um esforço de investigação, com base no cruzamento de uma historiografia local com as fontes documentais do século XVIII,sobre o processo de formação urbana de Alagoas, buscando um olhar mais ampliado sobre outros aspectos importantes nesse processo.Considerando o território uma composição de múltiplas camadas de significados,amalgamadas ao longo do tempo, mas que estão em uma constante transformação,ocasionando assim o acúmulo de processos, formas e expressões de tempo, o principal objetivo deste trabalho é contribuir para a compreensão do processo de urbanização de Alagoas durante o período colonial, com enfoque nos movimentos ocorridos durante o século XVIII, a partir da análise da atuação de diferentes agentes determinantes, bem como da relação entre eles. / The local historiography, over several years, has credited to the sugar production and to the mills, the preponderant role in the formation of the Alagoan society in general, including its materiality. However, documentary sources of the eighteenth century show that, at least in this period, other agents contributed intensely, with equal or perhaps greater importance in the process of urbanization of Alagoas. In a single manuscript, located in the National Library, for example, the number of cattle farms is more than twice the number of mills. Another aspect that this same document demonstrates is the coexistence of several activities in the same region, contradicting the productive spatialization affirmed by historiography. In this sense, the present thesis consists of a research effort, based on the intersection of a local historiography with documentary sources of the eighteenth century, on the process of urban formation of Alagoas, seeking a broader look at other important aspects in this process. Considering the territory a composition of multiple layers of meanings, amalgamated over time, but that are in a constant transformation, thus causing the accumulation of processes, forms and expressions of time, the main objective of this work is to contribute to the understanding of the process of urbanization of Alagoas during the colonial period, focusing on the movements that occurred during the eighteenth century, based on the analysis of the performance of different determining agents, as well as the relationship between them.