The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England
by Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon
Edward Hyde, first Earl of Clarendon (1609–1674), gained admission to the Middle Temple in 1626 and was called to the bar in November of 1633.[1] After spending some time in Parliament, he was made Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1643.[2] In part because of this position and in part because of his close relationship with and support of the current royalty, he had considerable firsthand experience to draw upon when writing his History on the Civil War in England.[3] He took an active part in supporting the church and the Crown throughout the war and following unrest, although his combat was political in nature.[4] Eventually after several rises and falls in favor with various political figures, he was exiled to France, where he died in 1674.[5]
His book, The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England strongly supports a monarchy founded on law, with both church and constitution as a necessary aspect of sound government.[6] Hyde had high hopes for the reception of his book, and interspersed the history with his own autobiography.[7] It received high praise when first published, but did not become popular.[8] This was due in part to a copyright limited to Oxford and in part to the complicated legal prose which proved too difficult for some.[9] Years later Hyde’s history became recognized as containing style and sophistication that was unparalleled in its time.[10]
Bibliographic Information
Author: Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon.
Title: The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, Begun in the Year 1641: With the Precedent Passages, and Actions, That Contributed Thereunto, and the Happy End, and Conclusion Thereof by the King's Blessed Restoration, and Return, upon the 29th of May, in the year 1660.
Published: Oxford: Printed at the Theater, An. Dom. 1707.
Edition: ; three volumes.
Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library
Listed in the Jefferson Inventory of Wythe's Library as Clarendon’s history. 3.v. fol. and given by Thomas Jefferson to his son-in-law, Thomas Mann Randolph. Later appears on Randolph's 1832 estate inventory as "'Clarendon's History of England' (3 vols., $9.00 value)." We do not have enough information to conclusively identify which edition Wythe owned. George Wythe's Library[11] on LibraryThing indicates this, adding "Several editions of this work in folio were published, the first at Oxford in 1707." The Brown Bibliography[12] lists the 1707 Oxford edition and this was the edition purchased by the Wolf Law Library.
Description of the Wolf Law Library's copy
Rebacked in sturdy brown leather with 7 raised bands and title, author, etc in gilt. Purchased from Abe Books.
View this book in William & Mary's online catalog.
External Links
Volume 1, Part 1:Google Books Volume 1, Part 2:Google Books
References
- ↑ Paul Seaward, “Hyde, Edward, first earl of Clarendon (1609-1674)” in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2004- ), accessed Oct 2, 2013. (Subscription required for access.)
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Dr. Martin Maw, The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, Oxford Scholarly Editions Online, (Jun 2013), accessed Oct. 2, 2013 http://www.oxfordscholarlyeditions.com/newsitem/60/the-history-of-the-rebellion-and-civil-wars-in-england.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ LibraryThing, s. v. "Member: George Wythe," accessed on November 13, 2013, http://www.librarything.com/profile/GeorgeWythe
- ↑ Bennie Brown, "The Library of George Wythe of Williamsburg and Richmond," (unpublished manuscript, May, 2012) Microsoft Word file. Earlier edition available at: https://digitalarchive.wm.edu/handle/10288/13433
