Enlightenment Tory in Victorian Scotland, An

Sheriff of Lanarkshire, Archibald Alison was a high Tory and an Episcopalian whose intellectual and cultural background was the Scottish Enlightenment, and whose main influence was Adam Smith. He represents an interesting link between the Scottish and Victorian conservatism, as his work reveals a consistent appropriation of eighteenth-century themes. This study offers a useful corrective to the received wisdom that Victorian Liberalism was the true heir of the Scottish Enlightenment.

Michael Michie is associate professor of political science at atkinson College, York University.