Jackson, Clare 1972- (Janet Clare Louise Jackson)

views updated

Jackson, Clare 1972- (Janet Clare Louise Jackson)

PERSONAL:

Born June 1, 1972. Education: Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge, Ph.D., 1999.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Cambridge University, Trinity Hall, Cambridge CB2 1TJ, England. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, Trinity Hall, fellow; Historical Journal, coeditor, 2004—.

WRITINGS:

Restoration Scotland, 1660-1690: Royalist Politics, Religion and Ideas, Boydell Press (Rochester, NY), 2003.

Contributor of chapters and essays to various academic works.

SIDELIGHTS:

Clare Jackson was born June 1, 1972. She graduated from the University of Cambridge, Sidney Sussex College in 1999, having earned her doctoral degree. She went on to take a position as a fellow on the faculty of Trinity Hall at the University of Cambridge, where she teaches courses in history. Jackson's primary areas of research and academic interest include the history of political thought, with a particular focus on Great Britain during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and British political and constitutional history of the fifteenth through the eighteenth centuries. In addition to her academic endeavors, she serves as the coeditor of the Historical Journal, and is the author of Restoration Scotland, 1660-1690: Royalist Politics, Religion and Ideas.

In Restoration Scotland, 1660-1690, Jackson addresses the political thought processes of this period in Scotland, an area of Britain often ignored by scholars who generally focus more on England during this time in history. She takes a look at the political system and how the Scottish elite in particular chose something of a dual approach in allegiances, in that they adhered to both the expected royalism and also maintained a certain acceptance of common law. While there is no definitive political narrative of this period in history, and Jackson herself does not undertake to provide one, she does present a thorough analysis of this political arena, focusing in particular on the ideas held by the various individuals that supported the regime. Jackson's book required a great deal of in-depth research simply because of the scarcity of reference works on this period. As a result, she was forced to rely upon more everyday materials and therefore delved into pamphlets, letters, memoranda, books, and even poetry in order to glean a clear picture of the political thoughts and concepts of the day. In her book, she illustrates how this era represented the pinnacle of royal power in Scotland and the ways in which the steadfast belief in the divine right of the king was a result of the religious convictions and ideas held by the populace, which reflected a willingness to compromise in many areas, but not all. Archbishop Leighton serves as a key figure in Jackson's work, holding him up as an intellect who, despite logical goals regarding the firm establishment of a broader base for the church, failed in his tasks and ultimately resigned from his post. Conversely, Jackson pays little attention to the "Killing Times" of this period in Scotland, which resulted from the widespread persecution of those whose ideology did not mesh with what was acceptable, or to the segue from this period into the Glorious Revolution that followed, both of which would be helpful to provide context to the era but which are perhaps better suited to a narrative structure.

Restoration Scotland, 1660-1690 was well received overall by critics, many of whom considered it a welcome addition to the literature of the period as it fills a gap in the previously sparse information regarding Scottish history of the era. Julian Goodare, in a review for History, called the book "a timely and valuable work," and praised Jackson for showing "that the revolution was accompanied by much more sophisticated political debate than has previously been acknowledged; her chapter on this may prove to be the most cited in the book." Alastair J. Mann, in a contribution for the American Historical Review, dubbed the book "a detailed and intelligent account of the royalist politics and politico-religious ideas of the period." He went on to comment that it "is most impressive in the deployment of a huge range of printed texts and tracts by clergy and political commentators. It is refreshing to see the royalist version."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Historical Review, October 1, 2004, Alastair J. Mann, review of Restoration Scotland, 1660-1690: Royalist Politics, Religion and Ideas, p. 1309.

English Historical Review, June 1, 2007, George Southcombe, review of Restoration Scotland, 1660-1690, p. 761.

Historian, September 22, 2006, Newton E. Key, review of Restoration Scotland, 1660-1690, p. 632.

History, April, 2005, Julian Goodare, review of Restoration Scotland, 1660-1690, p. 285.

Parliamentary History, 2004, Volume 23, Grant Tapsell, review of Restoration Scotland, 1660-1690, pp. 268-271.

Seventeenth Century, spring, 2005, Jim Smyth, review of Restoration Scotland, 1660-1690, pp. 148-150.