The eight-volume History of England from the Accession of James I to the Revolution established Catharine Macaulay as the first Englishwoman to publish as a professional historian. During her lifetime, she remained the only female historian in print, leveraging her narrative to argue that citizens possess the inherent right to overthrow monarchs who abandon their duty to protect natural liberties.
Historical Methodology
Macaulay believed that English freedoms were rooted in Anglo-Saxon representative institutions, which were suppressed following the Norman Conquest. In her expansive history, she characterized the Commonwealth period as the pinnacle of human government. She framed the Parliamentarian military efforts not as violence, but as a principled stand against tyranny. By justifying the execution of Charles I, she contended that monarchs serve the state, and their authority is conditional upon the welfare of the people.
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As a prominent radical voice, Macaulay engaged deeply with the political currents of the late eighteenth century. She became the first English radical to visit the United States following its independence, residing there between July 1784 and July 1785. During this period, she visited Mount Vernon to consult with George Washington. Though she contemplated documenting the American Revolution, her deteriorating health eventually forced her to decline the project.
Life and Public Reception
Born in 1731 in Wye, Kent, Macaulay was the daughter of John Sawbridge and Elizabeth Wanley. She was educated privately at home, later becoming a polymath who engaged with the political and philosophical debates of the era. Her 1760 marriage to the physician George Macaulay provided the stability required to launch her literary career. Following his death, she later married William Graham in 1778, a union that drew social scandal due to their significant age difference. She resided in Bath and later Binfield, where she passed away in 1791 and was interred at the Church of All Saints.
Fast facts
- Born: 1731, Wye
- Died: 1791, Binfield
- First husband: Dr. George Macaulay
- Second husband: William Graham
- Notable work: Observations on a Pamphlet, Entitled, Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents
- US visit: 15 July 1784 to 17 July 1785
- Burial site: Church of All Saints, Binfield
- Primary occupation: Historian
Questions readers ask
Was Catharine Macaulay self-taught?
She received a private home education by a governess, though she attributed her later intellectual development to extensive self-directed reading.
What was the main argument of her historical work?
She argued that the English Civil War was a necessary defense of popular rights against monarchical overreach and that kings who act as tyrants forfeit their right to govern.
Achievements
- Notable work: Observations on a Pamphlet, Entitled, Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents
