The Hutchinson Illustrated Encyclopedia of British History

Simon Hall

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781579581077
• eBook ISBN: 9781135934859
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: British History
• Index: History

The Hutchinson Illustrated Encyclopedia of British History is a comprehensive and authoritative guide to the people, events, and ideas that have shaped Britain from prehistory to the present day. The editors have also sought to convey the truth that history is more than simply a compilation of facts from the past. The editors have included as much factual information as possible in each A-Z entry, and numerous tables and statistics are included, as well as many specially-created maps and plans. The chronological relationships of past events and lives are conveyed through various detailed subject chronologies (attached to the relevant A-Z entries). A large thematic chronology, following the A-Z text, provides a visual reference to the relationship between the events of British/Irish history and events elsewhere in the world. And the cultural context of as many entries as possible has been brought to life via a wide range of illustrations, which provide a wealth of visual detail and, often, a key to past conceptions. Interspersed in the text are 21 specially commissioned, extended feature articles from noted historians that provide the analysis and the sense of the broad sweep of history that would otherwise be impossible to convey in an A-Z reference book.

C

Cabal, the (from kabbala) group of politicians, the English king Charles II’s counsellors 1667–73, whose initials made up the word by coincidence – Clifford (Thomas Clifford 1630–1673), Ashley (Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of ➭Shaftesbury), ➭Buckingham (George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham), Arlington (Henry Bennett, 1st Earl of Arlington 1618–1685), and ➭Lauderdale (John Maitland, Duke of Lauderdale). They are sometimes seen as an early form of cabinet but they did not have a unified policy and could be dismissed at the King’s discretion.

cabinet (a small room, implying secrecy) in politics, the group of ministers holding a country’s highest executive offices who decide government policy. In Britain the cabinet system originated under the Stuarts. Under William III it became customary for the king to select his ministers from the party with a parliamentary majority. The US cabinet, unlike the British, does not initiate legislation, and its members, appointed by the president, must not be members of Congress.

The first British ‘cabinet councils’ or subcommittees of the ➭Privy Council undertook special tasks. When George I ceased to attend cabinet meetings, the office of prime minister, not officially recognized until 1905, came into existence to provide a chair (Robert Walpole was the first). Cabinet members are chosen by the prime minister; policy is collective and the meetings are secret, minutes being taken by the secretary of the cabinet, a high civil servant. Secrecy has been infringed in recent years by ‘leaks’, or unauthorized disclosures to the press.

Caboto Giovanni or John Cabot c. 1450–1498. Italian navigator and explorer, the first European to reach North America. He came to England 1484 and settled in Bristol c. 1490. He was commissioned, with his three sons, by Henry VII of England to discover unknown lands and find a new maritime route to Asia. He arrived at Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, 24 June 1497, thus becoming the first European to reach the North American mainland, which he claimed for England although he thought he was in northeast Asia. In 1498 he sailed again, reaching Greenland, and probably died on the voyage.

Cade Jack d. 1450 English rebel, although according to some accounts born in Ireland. He was a prosperous landowner, but led a revolt 1450 in Kent against the high taxes and court corruption of Henry VI and demanded the recall from Ireland of Richard, Duke of York. The rebels defeated the royal forces at Sevenoaks and occupied London. After being promised reforms and pardon they dispersed, but Cade was hunted down and killed near Heathfield in Sussex.

Cadwallon d. 634. King of Gwynedd, N Wales, from c. 625. He invaded Northumbria with Penda of Mercia and defeated and killed Edwin of Northumbria at the battle of Heathfield 633. About a year later he was himself killed in battle by Oswald of Bernicia.

Caesar Gaius Julius 100–44 BC. Roman statesman and general. During his conquest of Gaul, he crossed into Britain 55 BC to discourage British Celts from sending aid to their cousins in Gaul. He landed in Kent but was forced to leave after a few weeks when storms threatened the safety of his fleet. He returned the following year for a more substantial campaign and defeated the Britons under ➭Cassivellaunus. After extracting tribute and assurances that the Britons would not interfere in Gaul, he left and returned to his main business of conquering Gaul. Neither expedition was planned as an invasion: the first was a show of strength; the second a punitive expedition.

Caledonia Roman term for Scottish Highlands, inhabited by Caledones. The tribes of the area remained outside Roman control – they were defeated but not conquered by ➭Agricola AD 83–84 and again by Septimius Severus who reached beyond modern Aberdeen 208. Since the 18th century, the name has been revived as a romantic alternative for the whole of Scotland.

Callaghan (Leonard) James, Baron Callaghan 1912- . British Labour politician. As chancellor of the Exchequer 1964–67, he introduced corporation and capital-gains taxes, and resigned following devaluation. He was home secretary under Harold Wilson 1967–70. As foreign secretary 1974, Callaghan renegotiated Britain’s membership of the European Community (now the European Union). he succeeded Harold Wilson as prime minister 1976 in a period of increasing economic stress and entered into a pact with the Liberals to maintain his government in office 1977. Strikes in the so-called ‘winter of discontent’ 1978–79 led to the government’s losing a vote of no confidence in the Commons, forcing him to call an election, and his party was defeated at the polls May 1979.

He was the first prime minister since Ramsay MacDonald 1924 to be forced into an election by the will of the Commons.

Callaghan

British Labour politician James Callaghan, prime minister 1976–79. His premiership, which began when Harold Wilson unexpectedly resigned, was marked by currency crises and the collapse of any kind of working relationship between government and trades unions. His government was forced into a general election when it lost a vote of no confidence in the Commons. United Nations

Calvert George, Baron Baltimore 1579–1632. English politician who founded the North American colony of Maryland 1632. As a supporter of colonization, he was granted land in Newfoundland 1628 but, finding the climate too harsh, obtained a royal charter for the more temperate Maryland 1632.

Calvinism Christian doctrine as interpreted by John Calvin and adopted in Scotland, parts of Switzerland, and the Netherlands; by the ➭Puritans in England and New England, USA; and by the subsequent Congregational and Presbyterian churches in the USA. Its central doctrine is predestination, under which certain souls (the elect) are predestined by God through the sacrifice of Jesus to salvation, and the rest to damnation. Although Calvinism is rarely accepted today in its strictest interpretation, the 20th century has seen a neo-Calvinist revival through the work of Karl Barth.

Cambridge University English university, one of the earliest in Europe, founded in the 12th century, though the earliest of the existing colleges, Peterhouse, was not founded until about 1284. The university was a centre of Renaissance learning and Reformation theology, and more recently has excelled in scientific research.

Famous students of the university include Rupert Brooke, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Thomas Gray, Christopher Marlowe, John Milton, Samuel Pepys, and William Wordsworth. In 1997, there were about 10,500 undergraduate and about 7,000 postgraduate students. All colleges are now co-educational except for th...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• List of contributors and editors
• Introduction
• List of feature articles
• List of chronologies
• List of maps and battle plans
• List of genealogies
• List of colour plates
• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
• H
• I
• J
• K
• L
• M
• N
• O
• P
• Q
• R
• S
• T
• U
• V
• W
• Y
• Z
• Chronology of British and Irish history
• Bibliography