Distilled Spirits, the Self, and Society in Early Modern England (1660 – 1760)

Abstract

My thesis examines the rise of distilled spirits in early modern England, their integration into everyday drinking practices, and their role in shaping social identity therein. By analysing these substances from a new perspective – namely, from the standpoint of the individual drinker – my thesis challenges underlying preconceptions about the role distilled spirits played in English society. Significantly, I move beyond gin as the defining liquor of interest for this period. Instead, I situate the individual’s decision to consume all types of distilled alcohol alongside their broader quotidian routines, especially those outside of London.

The thesis addresses three major questions. First, it asks how spirits integrated into contemporary drinking practices and the extent to which specific individuals or groups were responsible for this change. Second, it questions whether distilled spirits influenced ways of thinking, chiefly with regards to their potential to inform ideas about the self and society. Third, it questions the extent to which distilled spirits can be perceived as a watershed moment in the
development of modernity as an historical concept.

To achieve these aims, I have conducted a survey of 86 diaries. Rather than mining these texts exclusively for references to distilled spirits, I consider the authors’ engagement with these substances alongside other beverages. I also examine the authors’ reflections about drinking and drunkenness and whether such reflections influenced attitudes towards themselves, their neighbours, or others. I complement this research with analysis of manuscript recipe books, court depositions, and contemporary print as necessary.

I conclude that distilled spirits did not radically transform English drinking culture but were frequently accommodated into traditional consumption practices. Although distilled spirits intensified how contemporaries understood their bodies, sense of self, and attitudes towards society, their frame of reference was not entirely new. Instead, it was based on pre-existing notions of thinking and doing.

Date of Award	1 Oct 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol
Supervisor	Richard Blakemore (Supervisor) & Mark Hailwood (Supervisor)