Austin Gee, Oriel College Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Modern History in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Trinity 1989 This thesis deals with the political, military and social aspects of the volunteer movement in Great Britain during the wars against revolutionary and Napoleonic France. It explores the nature and purpose of the volunteer infantry, yeomanry cavalry, and armed associations: their organisation, administration, membership, and political adherences. Several questions concerning the political nature of volunteering are addressed, and it is shown that both the volunteers' motivation and the government's reasons for raising a voluntary force were more closely related to military than to political considerations. The occupational structure and political allegiances of several corps are analysed, revealing a broad range of political allegiance. The conclusion is drawn that the volunteers were more a 'constitutional' force than a partisan one.This thesis also investigates the ways in which the volunteer movement posed a challenge to the established social and political order, particularly in its autonomy and 'democratic' organisation. The central government and local authorities were, however, well aware of the potential threat, and precautions were taken against its development. The workings of the volunteer 'system' are explored in order to judge the validity of contemporary criticism of volunteer autonomy, and it is concluded that fears of apparently democratic organisation were exaggerated. The question of volunteer loyalty is investigated by examining the means of selection, individuals' motives, and the response of corps to peace-keeping duties. Finally, an assessment of the position of the movement in contemporary society shows it to have been closely related to the ambivalent concept of the 'citizen-soldier'.Extensive use is made of manuscript sources, particularly the papers of the Home and War Offices held in the Public Record Office, and official and private correspondence in the British Library and several county record offices.
This article compares aspects of the design, layout and purpose of a range of historic New Zealand urban cemeteries with the Southern Cemetery in Dunedin. It makes use of recent research conducted for historic conservation reports which has enable detailed comparisons to be made for the first time. The Southern Cemetery survives as a representative example of a modern, urban cemetery of the mid-nineteenth century, though it is unusual in being in a comparatively unaltered state. It is shown that denominational division was a requirement from the outset in most places, contrary to the widespread assumption that it was uncommon. No major regional differences between cemeteries are to be found other than those due to the ethnic and religious pattern of settlement. The topography of cemeteries is also considered, together with their siting, plantings, specialised structures, maintenance, and their vulnerability to vandalism, ‘improvement’ or destruction.
This article seeks to integrate the history of the physical aspects of burial practices with the cultural aspects of mourning and bereavement by considering the businesses that catered for the demand created by funerals and mourning in the second half of the nineteenth century. The example of the first major industrial and commercial urban centre to develop in New Zealand, Dunedin, is used to show that a range of businesses emerge quickly to cater for the funerary trade. Many were short lived, and few specialised exclusively in the funerary business.JEL categories: N37, N87, N97, O18, N57
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.