The countryside : ten rural walks through Britain and its hidden history of empire / Corinne Fowler.
Edition:
First Scribner hardcover edition.
Publisher:
Scribner,
Copyright Date:
2024
Description:
xvii, 408 pages : maps ; 24 cm
Other Titles:
Our island stories
Notes:
Originally published in Great Britain in 2024 by Allen Lane as Our island stories: country walks through colonial Britain. Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents:
Introduction: A colonial history of the British countryside -- The sugar walk : Jura and Islay -- The East India Company walk : Wordsworth and the Lake District -- The tobacco walk : Whitehaven Coast -- The cotton walk : East Lancashire -- The wool walk : Dolgellau and the Americas -- An Indian walk in the Cotswolds -- The enclosure walk : Norfolk and Jamaica -- The bankers' walk : Hampshire and Louisiana -- The labourers' walk : Tolpuddle and British penal colonies -- The copper walk : Cornwall, West Africa and the Americas -- Conclusion: Facing our colonial past.
Summary:
"Ten walks through idyllic scenery reveal the countryside's forgotten links to transatlantic slavery and colonialism--a work of accessible history that will transform our understanding of British landscapes and heritage. The green fields, rugged highlands, and rolling hills of England, Scotland, and Wales are commonly associated with adventure, romance, and seclusion as well as literary figures like Jane Austen and William Wordsworth. But in reality, many of these rural places--with their country houses, lakes, and shorelines--were profoundly changed by British colonial activity. Even hamlets and villages were affected by distant colonial events. Taking ten country walks, author Corinne Fowler explores the unique colonial dimensions of British agriculture, copper-mining, landownership, wool-making, coastal trade, and factory work in cotton mills. One route shows the links between English country houses and Indian colonization. Another explores banking history in Southern England and its link to slavery on Louisiana plantations. Other walks uncover the historical impact of sugar profits on the Scottish isles and 18th-century tobacco imports on an English coastal port. The history of these countryside locations--and the people who lived and worked in them--is closely bound up with colonial rule in far-away continents. Accompanying the author on her walks are a fascinating group of people--artists, musicians, and writers--with strong attachments to the landscapes featured in this book and family links to former British colonies like Barbados and Senegal. These companions illuminate the meaning of colonial history in local settings. Crucially, this is not just a history book but a compassionate reflection on the way we respond to sensitive, shared histories which link people across cultures, generations, and political divides"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.