Peer Power: Scotland and northern England under the 5th and 6th dukes of Buccleuch, c.1820-c.1914

The Buccleuch estates are the largest private landholdings in Scotland, but are critically understudied, particularly in their industrial context. This project will construct the first industrial history of the estates; it will examine the evolution of trade unionism and its relation to the customary paternalism of the aristocracy and will construct a revisionist understanding of the landed aristocracy during the rise of British capitalism after the Enlightenment. This PhD offers an opportunity to explore one of the great landed archives of the UK and Ireland, re-frame historiographical fields and share the benefits of this work with local communities and heritage organisations.