Britain and Its Empire in
the Shadow of Rome
Britain and Its Empire in the
Shadow of Rome
The Reception of Rome in Socio-Political Debate
from the 1850s to the 1920s
Sarah J. Butler
An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
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First published 2012
© Sarah J. Butler, 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers.
Sarah J. Butler has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work.
No responsibility for loss caused to any individual or organization acting on or refraining from action as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by Bloomsbury Academic or the author.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978-1-4411-1608-6
To my parents Graham and Tricia Harris
1Ancient Rome and the Debate on the British Empire
The rise of English nationalism
2Ancient Rome and the Debate on the Nation
Anglo-Saxonism and the working classes
The integration of Britain’s ‘others’
3Ancient Rome and the Debate on the City
Physical degeneration and the working classes
Return to the country and small-town urbanism
My thanks go to the many people who have offered advice and given encouragement throughout the process of writing my doctoral thesis and rewriting it for publication. Foremost is Prof. Richard Alston who has read, reread and commented on my numerous drafts. Others who have contributed time and effort to the evolution of this book include Dr Zoe Laidlaw, Dr Phiroze Vasunia, Dr Lindsay Allen, Prof. Lorna Hardwick, Prof. Edith Hall and Prof. Margaret Malamud, the staff of the various libraries and archives I have visited, but most especially the staff at the Bodleian, Oxford, the British Library, St Pancras and the British Newspaper Archive, Colindale and, by no means last, Bloomsbury Publishers. Special thanks go to Dr Russell Wallis who has encouraged me in my efforts over many years and, finally, to Chris, Amanda, Luke and Daniel Butler.