ABSTRACT by Courtney Misich

ABSTRACT SOCIAL AND SPATIAL MOBILITY IN THE BRITISH EMPIRE: READING AND MAPPING LOWER CLASS TRAVEL ACCOUNTS OF THE 1790’s by Courtney Misich Through textual analysis and mapping of 1790s published travel accounts, this project examines how lower class individuals utilized the growing British Empire to expand their societal status and travel opportunities. Modeled on early novels of the mid-eighteenth century such as Robinson Crusoe and Pamela, these supposedly “true” travel accounts showed their protagonists using personal connections, patronage, and employment to overcome adversity and rise socially. Individuals demonstrated mobility through their public image, dress, and speech. Passing for middle class was difficult, although often achievable through education, conduct, and finances. A publicly available interactive map in ArcGIS Online was created. It shows the routes of travel, characteristics of the travelers’ social status, and quotations from the primary sources, allowing them to be compared. The interactive map was built from the travel accounts descriptions of their travels, social status, financial status, and employment through manual data entry. The map is designed to be accessible and appealing to a broad public, enlarging the audience beyond specialists in digital humanities. SOCIAL AND SPATIAL MOBILITY IN THE BRITISH EMPIRE: READING AND MAPPING LOWER CLASS TRAVEL ACCOUNTS OF THE 1790’s Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Miami University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts in History by Courtney Misich Miami University Oxford, Ohio 2017 Advisor: Dr. Renee Baernstein Reader: Dr. Lindsay Schakenbach Regele Reader: Ms. Robbyn Abbitt ©2017 Courtney Misich This thesis titled SOCIAL AND SPATIAL MOBILITY IN THE BRITISH EMPIRE: READING AND MAPPING LOWER CLASS TRAVEL ACCOUNTS OF THE 1790’s by Courtney Misich has been approved for publication by College of Arts and Science and Department of History ____________________________________________________ Dr. Renee Baernstein ______________________________________________________ Dr. Lindsay Schakenbach Regele _______________________________________________________ Ms. Robbyn Abbitt Contents List of Figures ............................................................................................................................ iv Dedication ................................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... vi Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 1: Social Climbing: Obstacles and Tools ........................................................................ 7 Self-Improvement through Adversity ....................................................................................... 8 Personal Connections ............................................................................................................ 16 Patronage............................................................................................................................... 21 Seafaring Patronage ........................................................................................................... 21 Army Patronage ................................................................................................................. 25 Specialized Patronage: Actors and Servants ....................................................................... 28 Enslavement and Patronage ................................................................................................ 32 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 36 Chapter 2: Passing for Middle Class .......................................................................................... 38 Education and Knowledge ..................................................................................................... 39 A Better Life through Education ........................................................................................ 39 Morality Tales .................................................................................................................... 42 Polite Society ........................................................................................................................ 44 Financial Mobility ................................................................................................................. 50 Financial Gains .................................................................................................................. 51 Charity and Debt ................................................................................................................ 56 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 59 Chapter 3: Mapping the Eighteenth Century .............................................................................. 61 Mapping narrative: Challenges and Methods ......................................................................... 63 Results, Discussion, and Conclusions .................................................................................... 65 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 70 Biblography .............................................................................................................................. 73 Appendix .................................................................................................................................. 77 Appendix 1: Mapping the Eighteenth-Century Technical Methods ........................................ 77 Appendix 2: Maps of Individuals’ Travels ............................................................................. 79 Appendix 3: Maps of Financial Status ................................................................................... 82 Appendix 4: Individuals Charts of Social Mobility ................................................................ 85 iii List of Figures FIGURE 1 JAMES ALCOCK, “BRITISH EMPIRE 1720,” 2016........................................................................... 1 FIGURE 2 JAMES ALCOCK, “BRITISH EMPIRE 1791,” 2016........................................................................... 1 FIGURE 3 SELF-REPORTED LOCATIONS OF SEAFARING EMPLOYMENT ....................................................... 22 FIGURE 4 SELF-REPORTED LOCATIONS OF MILITARY EMPLOYMENT, ARMY AND NAVY ............................ 26 FIGURE 5 SELF-REPORTED LOCATIONS OF CIVILIAN EMPLOYMENT, SERVANTS AND PERFORMERS ............. 28 FIGURE 6 EUROPE CLOSE UP: SELF-REPORTED LOCATIONS OF CIVILIANS EMPLOYMENT, SERVANTS AND PERFORMERS ................................................................................................................................. 30 FIGURE 7 SELF-REPORTED LOCATIONS OF COERCED EMPLOYMENT .......................................................... 33 FIGURE 8 GOALS OF MAP USE ARRAYED IN THE MAP USE CUBE (SOURCE: MACEACHREN& KRAAK, 1997). 62 iv Dedication This thesis is dedicated to Ernest and Alice Slokar, who inspired my love of history. Also to my family and friends who supported me throughout the process. v Acknowledgements I would first like to thank my thesis advisor Dr. Renee Baernstein . She consistently allowed this paper to be my own work, but steered me in the right the direction whenever he thought I needed it. My committee member, Robbyn Abbitt and Dr. Lindsay Schakenbach Regele whose doors were always open for questions and problem solving throughout my thesis. I would like to thank Dr. Charlottle Goldy for being amazing emotional support and research ideas. To my history cohort, thank you for always being available to read over drafts, brainstorming, or finding a way to relax after long days. I would like to thank my roomates, Taylor Shade and Madison Rumschik, for dealing with my strange hours and stress baking. vi Introduction Figure 1 James Alcock, “British Empire 1720,” 2016 Figure 2 James Alcock, “British Empire 1791,” 2016 The eighteenth century was a period of numerous wars and growing of European empires. Between 1700 and 1800, the British fought major wars such as the Seven Years War, the French and Indian war, and the American Revolution causing larger migrations of their population in addition to colonists and deportations from the isles. Britain fought in nearly continuous wars and extended its empire onto more continents, which motivated its citizens to travel the globe gaining riches and possibly increasing their position in society. By 1791, the reach of Empire expanded beyond its earlier North American holdings to include outposts in the 1 Caribbean, South America, South Asia, and the South Pacific (see figs. 1 and 2).1 Historian Maya Jasanoff demonstrates the extent to which war created forced mobility with the American Loyalists at the end of the Revolutionary War. The loyalists fled to other British colonies and returned to Britain, altering their fortunes and positions in their new homes.2 Many British individuals documented their travels and illustrated how to navigate what historians see as the shift between

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