ABSTRACT
Having provided an overview, it is necessary to turn back from the relatively well-studied 1750s and 1760s, because British foreign policy in the 1740s is a subject that has received relatively little attention.1 Since Sir Richard Lodge’s Studies in Eighteenth-Century Diplomacy, 1740-1748 appeared in 1930 there has been little of importance devoted to this subject. His book, although firmly based on thorough research, was flawed on several counts. In a text of 411 pages it was extraordinary that Lodge reached 1743 by page 4. His perfunctory treatment of the events of 1740-42 and his neglect of trends in British foreign policy in the late 1730s led to an unbalanced account that suffered from its failure to assess elements of continuity and change. Those accustomed to Lodge’s other works could not have been surprised by his failure to consult diplomatic archives in other countries.2 This was an extremely unfortunate omission, as it is impossible to provide either an adequate narrative or an intelligent assessment of the foreign policy of a state if the archives of its allies and opponents are neglected. Furthermore, it was by no means, uncommon in the interwar years for scholars to consult archives in more than one country. Paul Vaucher had done so to brilliant effect in his Robert Walpole et la politique de Fleury (Paris, 1924) and Arthur Wilson was to do so in his French Foreign Policy during the Administration of Cardinal Fleury (1936). Given the role of Hanover in British foreign policy, it was unfortunate that Lodge did not choose to work there, doubly so as the bombing and floods of the 1940s destroyed most of the material that would have been so useful.3
