Between 1650 and 1850 perceptions of the English were transformed, as a nation of supposed barbarians, fanatics, and king-killers evolved into a world power of political maturity, imperial grandeur, and industrial might. Englishness Identified traces the evolution of the so-called English national character through the impressions and analyses of foreign observers, and relates it to English ambitions and anxieties during a period of rapid change.

• Introduction: Englishness


• 1: Energy - Industry - Locomotion - Physicality - Melancholy - Gravity - Order - Practicality


• 2: Candour - Plainness - Openness - Separateness - Domesticity - Honesty - Humbug


• 3: Decency - Barbarity - Fair Play - Propriety - Modesty


• 4: Taciturnity - Silence - Conversation - Oratory - Clubbability


• 5: Reserve - Xenophobia - Hospitality - Familiarity - Intimacy - Exclusiveness


• 6: Eccentricity - Liberty - Informality - Originality - Character - Eccentrics


• Conclusion: Manners and Character


• Index