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'''Catharine Macaulay''' (née '''Sawbridge''', later '''Graham'''; 23 March 1731 – 22 June 1791) was an English [[Whigs (British political party)|Whig]]
==Early life==
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Throughout her ''History'', Macaulay showed a concern for her subjects' moral character and conduct. Self-interest was in her eyes the worst fault a king or politician was capable of. She criticised "their apparent devotion to politics for personal gain rather than for the advancement of liberty". Her approach was a moralising one as she believed that only a virtuous people could create a republic.<ref>{{harvnb|Hill|1992|p=39}}</ref>
[[Whigs (British political party)|Whigs]] welcomed the first volumes of the ''History'' as a Whig answer to [[David Hume]]'s "Tory" ''History of England''.<ref>{{harvnb|Hill|1992|p=30}}</ref> However, in 1768, relations between her and the Whigs cooled. Volume four of the history was published; this dealt with the trial and execution of Charles I. Macaulay expressed the view that Charles's execution was justified,<ref>{{harvnb|Rabasa et al.|2012|p=524}}</ref> praised the [[Commonwealth of England]] and revealed [[Republicanism in the United Kingdom|republican]] sympathies. This caused her to be abandoned by the [[Rockingham Whigs]].<ref name="ODNB">{{harvnb|Hill|2012}}</ref>
[[Thomas Hollis (1720–1774)|Thomas Hollis]] recorded in his diary (30 November 1763) that "the history is honestly written, and with considerable ability and spirit; and is full of the freest, noblest, sentiments of Liberty".<ref>{{harvnb|Hill|1992|pp=39–40}}</ref> [[Horace Walpole]] wrote to [[William Mason (poet)|William Mason]], quoting with approval [[Thomas Gray]]'s opinion that it was the "most sensible, unaffected and best history of England that we have had yet".<ref name="Hill40">{{harvnb|Hill|1992|p=40}}</ref>
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