Revealing A New Northern England

Author: Caunce, Stephen

Source: Prose Studies, Volume 29, Number 1, April 2007 , pp. 136-152(17)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

Daniel Defoe's A Tour Thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain, first published 1724 - 6, has been described as 'the liveliest introduction … to Britain in the early eighteenth century' (Penguin edn, 1971, p. 10). In the section of the book discussed here, the industrial district of the West Riding, then emerging as the most dynamic in Europe despite its apparently desolate Pennine surroundings, is portrayed by Defoe in a particularly striking manner, and he argues that the region was much misunderstood. Though this section of the Tour is often quoted, few people have analyzed it in depth, or linked it to later developments, including the classic Industrial Revolution. This paper sets out to show that, while Defoe's topography and factual description can only be used with care, as a study of a remarkable nascent business culture it is of vital importance. It can be checked against other historical sources, some of which are used here, and emerges on this level as full of insights that can be obtained nowhere else. It also provides a holistic account no other source can rival. In particular, Defoe brings graphically to life the way industry was embedded in rural life, rather than destroying it.

Keywords: history; Yorkshire; textiles; business

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01440350701201506

Publication date: 2007-04-01