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Leighton Library has 1777 edition of "Letters on the study and use of history" by Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke
Added at 08:39 on 16 September 2025
The Leighton Library has a 1777 edition of "Letters on the study and use of history" by Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, who was born #OnThisDay 16 September 1678. He wrote this book while residing principally at the château of Argeville near Fontainebleau in France (printed privately before his death and first published in 1752).
He was an English politician, government official and political philosopher. He was a leader of the Tories, and supported the Church of England politically despite his antireligious views and opposition to theology. He supported the Jacobite rebellion of 1715 which sought to overthrow the new king George I. Escaping to France he became foreign minister for James Francis Edward Stuart. He was attainted for treason, but reversed course and was allowed to return to England in 1723.
The 1777 edition was part of a wave of reprints that helped cement his legacy during a time when Enlightenment ideas were gaining traction. In the midst of the American Revolution, his ideas - especially his skepticism of power and emphasis on liberty - were influential among American thinkers like Jefferson. Owning or printing his work then was a subtle nod to those revolutionary ideals.
