Resolution: Two Brothers. A Nation in Crisis. A World at War

by David Rutland, Emma Ellis

Overview

John Manners, Marquis of Granby, famously led a cavalry charge during the Seven Years War in 1760, losing both hat and wig. A commander of skill and courage, he was cherished by his men and lauded by the British public as an authentic military hero.

Granby predeceased his father, the 3rd Duke of Rutland, and never inherited his title, but left two sons whose contrasting fortunes and tragically short lives are the subject of this meticulously researched and richly illustrated book. Charles became 4th Duke in 1779, sought reconciliation with the American colonies and was Viceroy of Ireland; Robert embarked on a naval career, became flag captain of the Resolution and died of injuries sustained at the Battle of the Saintes.

Based upon the detailed archives held at Belvoir Castle, Resolution is both an enthralling saga of two generations of the Manners family and a finely delineated portrait of aristocratic, political and naval life in mid-Georgian England.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781784979904
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	04/06/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	512
File size:	122 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

David Rutland is 11th Duke of Rutland. He succeeded his father to the title on 4 January 1999 and lives at Belvoir Castle, ancestral home of the dukes of Rutland in northern Leicestershire. As a young boy, David used to read Robert Manners' letters, written whilst serving in the Royal Navy from 1772-82, and wanted to find out more about his life and the interesting relationship he had with his older brother Charles. Resolution took four years to write, using original documents in the archives at Belvoir Castle, as well as ships' log books and other naval records held at The National Archives at Kew and the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich.

Emma Ellis completed a degree in politics in 1992 and then 'ran away to sea' for a few years, undertaking numerous voyages including to Antarctica and Greenland. She became interested in the history of maritime exploration during the course of a circumnavigation of New Zealand. She subsequently undertook a Masters Degree in naval and merchant naval history at the Greenwich Maritime Centre, University of Greenwich. Resolution is her first book.
David Rutland is 11th Duke of Rutland. He succeeded his father to the title on 4 January 1999 and lives at Belvoir Castle, ancestral home of the dukes of Rutland in northern Leicestershire. As a young boy, David used to read Robert Manners' letters, written whilst serving in the Royal Navy from 1772-82, and wanted to find out more about his life and the interesting relationship he had with his older brother Charles. Resolution took four years to write, using original documents in the archives at Belvoir Castle, as well as ships' log books and other naval records held at The National Archives at Kew and the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich.
Emma Ellis completed a degree in politics in 1992 and then 'ran away to sea' for a few years, undertaking numerous voyages including to Antarctica and Greenland. She became interested in the history of maritime exploration during the course of a circumnavigation of New Zealand. She subsequently undertook a Masters Degree in naval and merchant naval history at the Greenwich Maritime Centre, University of Greenwich. Resolution is her first book.

Table of Contents

Foreword xi

Preface xiii

Note to the reader xxvii

Maps xxix

Prologue 1

1 'Isles of ice' 1772 5

2 'Going at it bald-headed' September 1750 to October 1770 25

3 'Granby's sons' November 1770 to April 1775 59

4 A place without honour, profit or pleasure' June 1775 to August 1777 87

5 'These are the times that try men's souls' 1775 to spring 1778 111

6 'The oak of old England' Spring 1778 to August 1778 139

7 'Prodigious bickerings' September 1778 to May 1779 167

8 'An extreme hard case' June to December 1779 193

9 'Now move heaven and earth' January to March 1780 223

10 'Whatever expedition we may make' March to December 1780 247

11 'The time now seems big with events' December 1780 to July 1781 277

12 'A slight inconvenience' July to November 1781 305

13 'A very great esteem for the Lady' December 1781 to March 1782 331

14 'My dear little Lord' March to May 1782 353

15 'The darling of your soul' May 1782 to February 1784 381

16 'Claret is a bad medicine' February 1784 to October 1787 397

17 Epilogue: 'The dear old chateau' 1787 to 1816 to Today 423

Family tree 438

Glossary 440

Notes on the text 447

Manuscript sources 458

Select bibliography 460

Acknowledgements 464

Image credits 466

Index 469

Editorial Reviews

"David Rutland and Emma Ellis have found a clever, and ultimately poignant, way of bringing the naval and political sides of the war with American colonies into a single focus. . . . It is fair and balanced in its judgements, authoritative in its handling of all naval aspects, and as comfortable with the aristocratic world of Belvoir, Newmarket and the gaming table as it is with the quarterdeck." —Spectator


"A rollicking tale of Lord Robert Manners, and his older brother Charles, the duke in the castle in Georgian times." —Times


"Vivid and well written, designed not just to appeal to military-history nerds." —Tatler

From the Publisher