CORNELL
UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY
BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME OF THE SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND GIVEN IN 189I BY
HENRY WILLIAMS SAGE
Cornell University Library DA 536.L91A3
Life and struggles of William Lovett
3 1924 028 036 758
The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library.
There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text.
http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028036758
WILLIAM LOYETT.
THE
LIFE AND STEUGGLES
OF
WILLIAM LOVETT,
IN HIS PURSUIT OF
BREAD, KNOWLEDGE, AND FREEDOM;
WITH SOME SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE DIFFERENT
ASSOCIATIONS HE BELONGED TO, AND OF THE
OPINIONS HE ENTERTAINED.
*' Onward I wMle a wrong remains To be conquered by the right; While oppression lifts a finger
To affront us by his might; While an error clouds the reason
Of the universal heart, Or a Slave awaits his freedom, Action is the wise man's part." —
Charles Mackay.
LONDON : • PUBLISHED BY TRUBNER <fe Co.,
57 AND 59, LUDGATB HILL. 187 6.
PREFACE.
rpHE commencement of the following pages I must -■- attribute to the solicitations of some of my radical friends, who, when I had been talking of some of the events of my life, of the different associations I have been connected with, and of the various political struggles in which I have been engaged, have urged me to write the facts down ; so that the working classes of a future day may know something of the early struggles of some of those who contended for the political rights they may be then enjoying ; and of those who aided in establishing a free and cheap press, and in the diffusion of that know- ledge which may have brought peace, plenty, and happiness around their dwellings. I shall offer no apology to the reader for the manner in which I have executed my task ; as I have done it, as I best could, in those intervals of time not devoted to my labours for bread. It may, perhaps, be objected, that I ought not to have introduced the Addresses and Documents of the Associations I have belonged to into my own history. To this I reply that I have introduced nothing but my own writings, unless acknowledged ; and I think that those who desire to know anything of me, would like to know what my opinions and
IV PREFACE.
sentiments were — (as well as great numbers who thought with me) — regarding the great questions of human right, social progress, and political reform ; and these, in fact, constitute a great part of my own history. Moreover, most of the principles and opinions enunciated in those Addresses are as important now as when they were first written ; the opinions given are as true now as then ; and the advice in them is as necessary, as most of the reforms aimed at are yet to be achieved. The Working Classes are still compelled to pay and obey at the mandates of exclusive legislators — Catholics, Jews, and Dissenters, — are in England still compelled to support a Church whose rule they hate, and whose doctrines the}^ abhor. Education is still regarded by vast numbers as a means of filling Churches and Chapels, instead of a glorious instru- ment of human elevation — vast revenues are still squandered on armies and warriors — and a privileged few still maintain an ascendancy for evil, in court, camp, navy, and senate-house. The Working Classes are still to avast extent following blind guides, and trusting to leaders and orators, outside their own ranks, to achieve that for them which their own efibrts, self-sacrifices, and organiza- tion can alone effect. They still, unhappily, undervalue mental and moral effort for raising their class and advanc- ing the welfare of their country, and therefore the advice given to them from thirty to forty years ago may still be found useful. I have yet another reason for adding the documents of the Associations I have taken part in, and for giving a brief account of their proceedings ; and it is this — That hitherto, little is found in history, or in our public papers, that present a fair and accurate account of the public proceedings of the Working Classes ; for if the Whig and Tory papers of the day ever condescend to
PREFACE. V
notice them, it is rather to garble and distort facts, to magnify faults and follies, and to ridicule their objects and intentions ; the pleasing of their patrons being more im- portant with them than a truthful record . In consequence of this unjust system the historians and writers of a future day will have only garbled tales to guide them — as those of past history have — and hence a caricature is oftener given of the industrious millions than a truthful portrait.
It is very probable that, in reading the following pages, some ease-enjoying, pious believer in the excellence and purity of our social and political institutions, may be led to think that I have been a busy, restless, discontented fellow. In forming such opinion of me he will be politically correct; and which disposition — unfavourable as it may appear to him — I am prepared to justify. For it is one of the items of my political creed, that the man who sees the rights of the industrious many withheld by a privileged, idle, and incompetent few ; who sees one law for the rich and another for the poor ; and perceives injustice, cor- ruption and extravagance daily sapping the vitals of his country, and remains a silent, passive, and contented spec- tator, is a soulless participator in the wrongs inflicted on his country and his kind. In thus staling this, others again, may be led to think me self-consequential and con- ceited ; which, if they do so, I shall think — with all defer- ence to their opinions — that they will do me an injustice, for the older I get the more I am finding out my great deficiencies, and perceive how lamentably ignorant I am on a great variety of very important subjects with which I ought to be acquainted; and to think how much more useful I might have been, in my humble sphere, if I had had that early education which I hope, at no distant period,
Yl PREFACE.
will be realized for the rising generation, and which I have hitherto, and will in future do my best to promote. But whatever may be the political or religious opinions of those who differ from me, I would ask them — ought the great battle and struggles of life to be for the muUitude, such as they are ? Seeing that the great author of our being has placed us in a world fitted with abundant means to secure the happiness of all, if justly 'administered, ought these means to be monopolized and applied to secure an excess of luxuries for the few, while the mass of the people are not only compelled to toil and labour to secure it, but to be very frequently destitute of the necessary means of subsistence for themselves and families ? Justice, I think, will cause them in their conscience to say they should not ; for, though toil and natural evils are the conditions of life, they ought not to be augmented by social and political injustice.
To account for any repetitions that may be found in the work — and which may have escaped me — I may state that it was begun in 1840, and has been added to from time to time up to the year 1874.
OOIsTTZBHSTTS.
PREFACE.
CHAPTER I.
Pads.
Reasons for stringing together the events of my life 1
The Date, and place of mj birth ... ... ... ... ... 1
My Parentage, — my father drowned before I was born ... ... 1
My Mother assisted by my Uncle; who died young ... 1
My Mother's labours to support me ... ... ... ... ... 1
Earliest Recollections — the Press G-ang, &c. ... ... ... ... 2
Courageous Honour Hitchens, and the dog-fish ... ... ... 3
My love of play — my first Dame Schools ... ... ... ... 3
Learnt to read by my Grreat Gritindmother ... ... ... ... 3
A good memory when young ... ... ... ... ... ... 4
My first Schoolmasters — punishment given ... ... ... ... 4
Catching the Small Pox — its dreadful ravages ... ... ... ... 4
My last Schoolmaster ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 5
Find a ShilHng; my Mother's Lesson on Honesty ... ... ... 6
Uncle Jemmy, a curious religious character ... ... ... ... 6
My Mother's Methodism, a little too strict ... ... ... ... 7
My amusements after School-hours ... ... ... ... ... 8
A great temptation to play — what came of ... ... ... ... 0
A large Shark, a tumble in its mouth ... ... ... ... ^... 10
Bound Apprentice to Ropemaking ... ... ... ... ... 10
Hard work, an unfit master ... ... ... ... ... ... 11
My belief in G-hosts — what I saw ... ... ... ... ... 14?
My mechanical pursuits 14
Fishing adventures — a kick from a horse ... ... ... ... 15
Visit to Porthlevan — what I saw there ... ... ... ... ... 17
Poor Betty, and Aunt Tammy 18
My Apprentiship over ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 20
Travels in search of work ... ... ... ... ... 21
No Books to enlighten, nor Teacher to instruct ... ... ... 21
Join the " Bryanites " for a short time- — frail sisters... ... ... 22
An old Sea-Captain's advice to me ... ... ... ... ... 23 ■
Preparations for leaving homo ... ... ... ... ... 23
Arrival in London — first impressions ... ... ... ... .•• 24
Efforts to obtain work — very bad times... ... ... ... ... 25
My first job, laying flooring 26
u.
INDEX.
Gret work at Cabinet-making
A Cheating Master ; a scuffle in the Fleet
In debt to mj Landlady — make her furniture.
Meet -with David Todd, a kind journeyman
Apprentice myself to learn Cabinet-making
Conduct of my Shopmates...
Out of my time, get into good shops ...
Pugilism, and Free and Easy's
The Old Cabinet-Makers' Society...
Improvements in Cabinet-making...
Pagb 27 20 29 30 30 31 33 32 32 33
/
CHAPTER II.
My Introduction to " The Liberals," a Literary Association
I join '' The Mechanics' Institute ; " the dumb speak ...
Sir Richard Phillips — some of his theories
Debating places, and their celebrities
First meeting -with my Tvife — religious obstacles ...
Mental affliction — a Christmas greeting ...
Providing for a home — our marriage
Attempts at -writing for the jDress
Embark our first savings in business — the result
I join the First London Co-operative Trading Association
Elected Storekeeper — tlie business not successful
Formation of the British Co-operative Association
Mr. Robert Owen's return from America
I lose faith in "a Community of Property" ...
M. DArusment's account of 'New Harmony
Wm. King's Exchange Bazaar, and Labour IS^otes
The ''Institution of Industrious Classes "
Mr. Owen's Exchange Bazaar, Grays Inn Road
A Deputation to expostulate — the result
"Wm. Thompson's Plan of an " Incipient Community "
An Exchequer Writ, for selling a pamphlet
A Common Informer, anxious for knowledge ...
A Visit to Somerset House
The mistake their Officials made...
34 35
36 36 37 37 38 39 40 40 41 42 43 44 46 47 47 48 48 49 50 50 52 53
CHAPTER III.
First acquaintance -with Cleave, Hetherington, and Watson
Become acquainted with Mr. Henry Hunt
Hunt and Cobbett, two noble Champions of Reform...
Infamous treatment of Mr. Hunt
Formation of the Metropolitan Political Union in 1830
Hetherington and I resign our seats in the Council ...
Petition for Opening the British Museum on Sundays
Commencement of the Unstamped Agitation ...
The Editors of the Poor Man's Gruardian
The Organization of the " Yictim Fund"
Hetherington's daring and unselfish conduct ...
Brutal conduct of the Police towards him
The Unstamped Contest for five years and more
54 55 65 55 56 56 57 59 59 60 60 61 61
INDEX. iii,
_, Page.
Persons imprisoned for selling the Unstamped 62
The Poor Man's Gruardian declared a legal publication 62
Conduct of the Stamp Office Authorities ... ... ... ... 63
Mr. Riley's ingenious Stamping ]\Iachine ... ... ... ... 63
Treatment of Hetheriugton and Cleave ... ... 64.
My goods stolen for not serving the Militia ... ... 64
My Wife's noble conduct respecting it G6
No drawing for the Militia since .**,' 67'
CHAPTER IV.
I join the National Union of the Working Classes 68
The hot-brained few — their *ec;'e^ convention prospect .. . ... .., 69
Wretchedness in Spitalfields 71
Wakefield's New Zealand scheme... ... ... 72
Declaration of the National Union ... ... ... ... ... 72
Formation of the National Political Union ... ... ... ... 74
A Proclamation against our Public Meeting ... ... ... ... 75
Deputation to Lord Melbourne ... ... ... ... ... ... 76
Percival's Fast against the Cholera ... ... ... ... ... 78
Fast-day Procession and the new Police ... ... ... ... 78
Trial of Benlow, Lovett, and Watson ... ... ... ... ... 82
A spy, and the Calthorpe Street afiair ... .... ... ... ... 82
William Cobbett, and Popay the spy ... ... ... ... ... 85
The "Consolidated Trades Union" ' 86
I open a Coffee House at 19, Grreville Street ... ... ... ... 88
The Death of Julian Hibbert, our Treasurer ... .,. ... ,., 89
CHAPTER v.
My Petition respecting the Land... ... ... ... 90
A Committee to pay Cleave & Hetheringion's fines ... ... ... 91
Formation of the London Working Men's Association ... ... 92
Its first Address, to Working Men's Associations ... ... ... 94
Deputation from the Farmers of Cambridgeshire ... ... ... 97
Address to the Working Classes of Belgium ... .. 98
A Pamphlet — "The Rotten House of Commons" ... ... ... 100
Meeting, and Petition in favour of the Canadians ... ... ... 103
Meeting for the Suffrage at the Crown & Anchor ... ... ... 104
Address to the Canadian People ... ... ... ... ... ... 107
Meeting of Liberal members at Cockspur Street ,,, ... ... Ill
The Resolutions agreed to by them ... ... ... ... ... 113
An Address on the Forthcoming Elections ... ... ... ... 115
CHAPTER VL
Address to the Queen on ascending the Throne ... 122
Correspondence respecting it ... ... ... ... ... ... 122
No access to her but in Court-Dress ... ... ... ... ... 125
Address to the Working Classes of America ... ... 129
Address on the Subject of Education, 1837 132 .
IV. INDEX.
CHAPTER VII.
Paoi:.
A Dinner to the defeated Liberal Members ... ... ... ••• 1'^'
Address to the Birmingham Political Union ... ... ... .-• 148
Address to the Poles, and the Working Classes of Europe ... ... 150
Dan O'Connell's attack upon Trades Unions ... ... ... ... 158
The Trades Combination Committee formed ... ... ... ... 158
Appointed their Secretary ... ... ... ... ... ... ■•. 158
Letter to Fergus, on his attack on our Association ... ... ... 159
Labour of the Combination Committee ... ... ... ... -.- 163
CHAPTER VIII.
Tlie dramng up of the People's Charter ... ... ... ... 164
The Address attached to it ... .... ... ... ... ... 166
The good resulting from its publication... ... ... ... ... 171
First submitted 'publicly to a meeting at Glasgow ... ... ... 172
State of public opinion in its favour ... ... ... ... ... 172
Origin of the "Northern Star," bj Robert Lowery ... ... ... 173
Address in Reply to the Objections of the Press ... ... ... 174
CHAPTER IX.
The Great Birmingham Meeting of the 6th of August ... ... 181
Fergus O'Conner's talk of physical force ... ... ... ... 181
Meeting in Palace Yard for the People's Cliarter ... ... ... 181
Signatures obtained there for the National Petition ... ... ... 181
Delegate meeting to inaugurate the Irish Address ... ... ... 182
Address of Reformers to the Irish people ... ... ... ... 182
CHAPTER X.
The reception of the Irish Address ... ... ... ... ... 191
The Reply of "The Precursoi^" to the Irish Address ... ... 191
Address of our Association in reply to them ... ... ... ... .191
Dan O'Connell's injustice to the Moral Force party ... ... ... 199
The meeting of the Convention approaching ... ... ... ... 200
CHAPTER XI.
The Convention originated with the Birmingham Union 201
The Delecrates to the Convention... ... . om
First, meeting of the Convention February 4lh, 1839 ... ... 201
Elected their Secretary ... ... ... ... ... 201
Delay of the presentation of the National Petition ... ... 202
The Democratic Association, and their conduct ... ... ..] 203
Resignation of the Birmingham Delegates ... ... * 203
The National Petition taken to Atwood's house ... ... * 205
Meeting about ulterior measures ... ... ... _ 207
The Convention goes in Birmingham ... ... ^^\ 208
The Manifesto of the Convention \\\ \\ 209
IKDEX.
T.
CHAPTER XII.
Simultaneous Meetings well attended
Circumstances that led to our arrest
The three offending Resolutions ...
Arrest of Lovett and Collins
Bail of £1,000 for each required...
Riots and burnings in the Bullring
We change our road to town in consequence
Petition about our treatment before trial
The sacred month abandoned, and the Convention dissolved
Trial of Lovett and Collins at Warwick
Illness in prison ; efforts made on our behalf
Exposure regarding the quantity of meat
The writing of "Chartism" in prison ...
The power for evil the Magistrates possessed
Faob. 216 217 219 220 220 221 221 221 225 226 229 233 236 239
CHAPTER XIII.
Released from prison — law received
A Public Dinner to us at White Conduit House
Visit to Cornwall for the benefit of my health
Claims made on me for the Charter Newspaper
Open a small Bookseller's shop ...
A kind offer made to me by Mr. Samuel Smiles
A Requisition made to establish the National Association
An address in furtherance thereof
The Plan violently denounced by O'Connor
A Sermon preached in favour of our assassination
Address to Political and Social Reformers
The National Association formed 1841 ...
An Address to the Middle- Classes
242 242 242 245 244 245 245 245 250 251 252 259 260
CHAPTER XIV.
Our objection to the second National Petition... A Remonstrance to Parliament instead ... Our Representation described by the Morning Post Joseph Hume, M.P. on our Remonstrance
264 264 269 271
CHAPTER XV.
Mr. Joseph Stxirge, and Complete Suffrage
The first Birmingham Conference on the subject
Address I wrote for the Council ...
Fergus O^Connor's efforts to pack it
The New Bill of Rights prepared
Meeting of the Second Conference
My amendment to the Bill of Rights
The majority for the People's Charter ..»
273
274 276 282 282 283 284 284
Vh
INDEX.
CHAPTER XVI.
A Hall for the National Association
The Opening of it in July 1842 ...
A Music Licence refused us
My Letter to Dan O'Connell
Letter to Donaldson and Mason ...
The Letter-opening system detected
Public Meeting respecting Nicholas of Russia . . .
Address to the Working Classes of France, on War
The Democi'atic Friends of All Nations...
Address to the Chartists of the United Kingdom
Pack.
286 287 288 288 294 297 298 300 307 308
CHAPTER XYII.
Address to the Working Men of America Proposal to form a Day-School in our Hall I resign my Secretaryship ... The formation of the Anti-Slavery League Lloyd G-arrison Lectures at our Hall Acquaintance with George Gill of Nottingham... I become the Publisher of "Howitt's Journal" Proposal made to the Friends of Progress Address to the French People on their Republic
312 319 321 321 321 322 322 323 329
CHAPTER XYIII.
A Testimonial and Address presented to me ... Day-School opened under my Superintendence The formation of the People's League ... Address to Radical Reformers Our first meeting broken up by the O'Connorites Address to the People of London
333 334 335 336 340 342
CHAPTER XIX.
Address on the state and condition of Ireland
The Home Rulers, &c.
Letter from George Combe, on the Peace Principle
Social Science taught in our School by Wm. Ellis
Begin to teach Elementary Anatomy and Physiology
Examined on the Public Libraries' Act ...
I publish my Social and Political Morality
A Higher Standard for Members of Parliament
Woman's Mission, a poem, published
|
• • • •> . |
.. 351 |
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.. 358 |
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• • • ... |
.. 359 |
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.. 360 |
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.. 362 |
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• • • ... |
.. 364 |
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■ • • . . < |
.. 367 |
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... 368 |
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* • « « < k |
... 371 |
CHAPTER XX. How the National Hall was made a Music Hall
372
INDEX.
I teach Physiology in St. Thomas Charterhouse Schools Write Elementary School Books on Science Necessity for teaching Science in Schools
What Gl^ue Keligion consists of
Church Teaching, and "with what benefit
The Poor Clergy Relief Society ...
The Popish follies carried on in our Churches...
The Persecutions of the Church ...
The Church should not be goTcrned as it is ...
Christianity, as taught by Christ
Vll.
\ ■ Page.
375
376
380
382
384,
386
387
388
391
394
CHAPTER XXI.
Began writing my Zoology for Schools
The Q^reat war in America — Johnson's conduct... Of what use are Emperors, Kings, or Presidents ? The amount we spend in warlike preparatious... A Union of Capital and Labour needed Write my A B C of Social Science
399 401 401
405 407 409
CHAPTER XXII.
My Model of a District Hall, &c ...
The object to do away with the expense of Elections
The Death of Charles Dickens
Another great war between Erance and Q-ermany
Death and Illness of old friends ...
My Sanatory Measure proposed to Mr. Stansfeld
A few last words to the Working-Classes
The best mode of dealing with the Land Question ..
Our present Marriage Law needs reform
Improved Education, Libraries, and Reading-Rooms ..
The evils of amusement in connection with drink
The G-reat Religion of Duty
The "Racing and Betting Frenzy"
411 412 415 417 421 424 425 427 430 431 432 427 440
APPENDIX— A.
Petition agreed to at a Meeting at the "Crown and Anchor," the prayer of it being the nucleus of the Charter.
APPENDIX— B. A Copy of the People's Charter as last corrected.
APPENDIX— C.
Copy of the I^atioilal Petition) the fli^st one in favour of the Peoplo*^ Chal*teri
Henman & Sons, Peintebs, 169 & 170, Shoreditch, London, E.
THE
LIFE & STRUGGLES OF WILLIAM LOVETT.
CHAPTER I.
In resolving to string together the events of my life I am hopeful that they may be of interest to my working-class brethren, with whom and for whom I have laboured for the last forty-five years, in the hopes of improving our social and political condition. The success of our efforts has not been to the extent of my wishes, although I believe great progress has been effected; and if the following pages may in. any way serve to stimulate younger and wiser men to continue the contest, earnestly but discreetly, till the victory is won over political injustice, social oppression, ignorance and wrong, I shall not have written them in vain. I am conscious of my inability to make my story interesting by style or force of language, and therefore I shall tell it right on as I best can. I was born on the 8th of May, in the year 1800, in the little fishing town of Newlyn, situated about a mile westward of Penzance, in the coimty of Cornwall. My mother's maiden name was Kezia Green ; she descended from a family of that name, well known in the west of the county for their skill as blacksmiths, and their strength and dexterity as wrestlers, trophies won by my grandmother's brother being still in the family. My father was a native of Hull, of the same name as myself, and the captain of a small trading vessel, often entering
1
2 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
the port of Falmouth, where he met with miy mother. He was, however, unhappily drowned in his last voyage home before I was born, so I can say nothing further respecting him. My mother, however, in her lonely position, was relieved and taken care of by an affectionate brother, one who possessed great goodness of heart. Soon after this he commenced business as a ropemaker, and, being success- ful in the beginning, was able to render her ample assist- ance while I was an infant. He possessed an amiable disposition and a well-informed mind, which he had been assiduous in cultivating, and was always held up to me as An example by my grandmother. He died, however, of a decline, in his 32nd year, and when I was very young. My mother being thus thrown entirely on her own re- sources, fortunately possessed a vigorous constitution and a persevering spirit, so that, by labouring industriously in the usual avocations of a fishing town, as well as by selling fish in Penzance market, she was enabled to bring me up in some degree of comfort, as well as to support for the most part her aged mother, who became greatly dependent on her. Among my earliest recollections was that of being taken in my grandmother's arms to see the illumina- tioDS for the shoi't peace of 1803, was that of seeing a plentiful supply of raisins in the town, occasioned by the wreck of the fig -man — as she was called — the vessel that, I think, knocked down the works of the wherry mine in a storm ; and was my being driven home by an old shop- keeper of the town for having run down street in my night-clothes after my mother. I have also deeply engraven on the memory of my boyhood the apprehensions and alarms that were experienced amongst the inhabitants of our town regarding the press-gang during the war. The cry that "the press-gang was coming " was sufficient to cause all the young and eligible men of the town to flock up to the hills and away to the country as fast as possible, and to hide themselves in all manner of places till the danger was supposed to be over. It was not always, however, that the road to the country was open to them, for the authorities sometimes arranged that a troop of light horse should be at hand to cut off their retreat when
WILLIAM L 0 rUTT. 3
the press-gang landed. Then might the soldiers be seen, with drawn cutlasses, riding down the poor fishermen, often through fields of standing corn where they had sought to hide themselves, while the press-gang were engaged in diligently searching every house in order to secure their victims. In this way, as well as out of their boats at sea, vrere great numbers taken away, and many of them never more heard of by their relations. On one of those exciting occasions, it so happened that an old man and his daughter were out at one end of the town, beside a small stream cleansing .fish. The daughter was a woman between thirty and forty, and her father, I should think upwards of sixty, though he looked younger. Being thus engaged when the press-gang landed, and she being deaf, one of the gang had been and seized her father, and was bearing him ofi* before she was aware of it. On raising her head, and seeing her father borne off a prisoner, she snatched up one of the dog-fishes she was opening, and running up to the man she asked him what he was going to do with her daddy. Pointing to the man-of-war at a distance, he told her he was going to take him aboard that big ship. The words had scarcely passed his lips before she fetched him a blow across his face with the rough dog-fish, that made him relinquish his hold. Then seizing her father with one hand, and resolutely de- fending him with the dog-fish in the other, she kept her opponent at bay till other women and boys came to her assistance. Thus was Honour Hitchens, by her courage, enabled to bear off her daddy in triumph amid the cheers and rejoicings of half the women and boys of the neigh- bourhood.
Like most children, when very young, my love of play was far greater than that of learning, for I was sent to all the dame-schools of the town before I could master the alphabet. Of my first school I remember being sent home at midsummer with a slip of paper round my hat with my name on it in red ink, given as a holiday present. Of my second school was the being put in the coal-cellar for bad conduct, on the second and last day of my being there. Eventually, however, I was instructed to read by my
4 LIFE AKD STM TI0GLE8 OF
great grandmotlier, who lived in the village of St, Greedy about three miles from our town, she being at that period about eighty years of age. A circumstance I remember in connection with this kind old lady induces me to believe that I had a good memory when a child. My mother, who generally paid me a visit once a week to bring me clean lineUj on one occasion made me a present of Dr. Watt's Divine Songs, saying at the same time, ^' William, when you have learnt them all, I will make you a present of a new Bible." This promise so far stimulated me to my task, that I had learnt to repeat them all from memory in a fortnight's time ; and I eagerly sent home word by a neighbour to tell my mother to bring the present she pro- mised me as I had learnt all the songs. On going to meet her a portion of the way, as I usually did, I mounted on a large rock to await her coming, and as soon as she saw me at a distance, she held up the Bible to assure me that my request had not been forgotten. I soon, however, got too troublesome for my poor great grandmother, and was taken home ; and I remember that the day after I nearly cut off the top of a finger in playing with a knife. My grandmother's sister then took me to live with her for a short time. She "was a kind-hearted woman, but fond of drink at times, and I, having accidentally broken one of her windows, one day was sent home in a tiff. I was then sent to a boys' school to learn *Ho write and cypher,'^ thought at that time to be all the education required for poor people. It was the only school in the town at that time, and I had two masters while there. The first master was a severe one, and the second was somewhat worse. Custises on the palm of the hand and very severe canings were punishments for not recollecting our tasks, and on one occasion I saw him hang up a boy by the two thumbs with his toes just touching the ground for playing truant. Here, too, I caught the small-pox from seeing a little girl brought into the school in her grandmother's arms ; she having her little face and arms thickly beset with the dark-scabbed pustules, caused a strange shivering sensation to come over me at the moment, and in a short time I was taken ill with the disease. I think that fear had much to
WILLIAM LOVETT, 5
do witk it, though the germs must undoubtedly have been wafted towards me. I must here state that the disease at that time being greatly dreaded, I was constantly cautioned by my friends to avoid all children that had had it recently, and being thus brought suddenly face to face with it, with no means of escape, I naturally felt alarmed. And what a terrible disease it was I can well remember, for I think I was seven or eight years old. But bad as I had it I was not marked with it as numbers of my schoolfellows were ; for so terrible were its ravages at that period, that I caa vividly remember the number of seamed and scarred faces among them. Vaccination at that time had not been introduced into our town, though inoculation for the small- pox was occasionally resorted to ; but it was looked upon as sinful and a doubting of providence, although about that period one in every fourteen persons born died from its ravages. Having made but little progress at this school, when I got well I was sent to another about a mile from the town and near the parish church. Here I learned to write tolerably well, and to know a little of arithmetic and the catechism, and this formed the extent of my scholastic acquirements. I remember being once flogged severely by the master, and I think I deserved it. It was in the winter time, and his little boy had set a trap in the garden for catching birds, when myself and another boy seeing some birds in the trap pulled down the opening and caught them. We then wrung their necks, brought them into the school, and put them into our school bags unobserved. IS'ot having however wrung their necks effectually, in a short time they began to flutter, and this led to our detection and punishment. This master was, however, a very clever and ingenious person, and I think also a bit of a wit : for he being too busy on one occasion to set me a copy requested me to write one for myself. From some curious notions I had formed of royalty, I wrote for my copy — " All Kings have long heads,'* which when my master saw, he wrote on the opposite page, " All horses have longer heads.'' To prove how anxious my poor mother was to check the least deviation from what she believed to be right and just in
6 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
my conduct, I will relate the following : " Having returned from school one winter evening, and finding my mother not returned from market, I went to meet her. On cross- ing a beach leading to the next village, I saw two persons at a little distance from me seeking for something with a lantern. Before I came to them, seeing something shining upon the beach, I stooped down and found it to be a shilling. I accordingly made my way towards the parties, believing them to be seeking for it. But on enquiring what they had lost, I was replied to with a buffet on the head, and bidden to go my way. Taking this in dudgeon, I went on and took the shilling with me. Not meeting^ with my mother on the road I turned back, and found that she had got home before me. To her I told my story about the shilling, half believing that I had acted rightly, after the treatment I had received, until I saw the frown gathering on my mother's countenance, and the rod being sought for, by a few strokes of which I soon became enlightened to the contrary. She then took me back to the owner of the shilling, to apolo- gize to him for not having given it to him as soon as I found it ; and on my way back I received from her a lec- ture on honesty, which I never afterwards forgot. This old gentleman, to whom I took back the shilling, was a man of some little property in our town, and had, I believe, a large spice of humour in his composition as the following anecdote shows : — He having an orchard at the upper end of the street he lived in, from which he found it diffi- cult to gather much of its fruit, by reason of repeated thefts, got an old man, who lived in a cottage at the bot- tom of it, to rent it from him. This old man was a journeyman miller, and made a great profession of reli- gion ; but was withal a very curious specimen of a religious man, as he could never be induced to say grace over fish and potatoes, a very common dinner in a fishing town. The first question when he came home at noon, was to ask his mistress what she had got for dinner. If it happened to be baked potatoes, pork, and pie-crust — a favourite dinner with him — Uncle Jemmy would kneel down and make a long grace over it ; but if it was a dinner of fish and pota-
WILLIAM LOVETT, 7
toes, Uncle Jemmy could never be induced to say grac6 ; for lie always persisted that " God Almighty never or- dained fish and potatoes for a working man's dinner." But to return to my story about the orchard. When the bargain had been concluded about the rent, mode of pay- ment, &c., Uncle Jemmy turned to the proprietor and said, "Now, Mr. Pollard, if you have no objection, I'll say a few words of prayer over our bargain ?" No objec- tion having been made. Uncle Jemmy knelt down and began his prayer, praying that God would send sunshine and showers, that he would protect the trees from blight, that he would give him abundant fruit, and that when the apples were ripe, he would prevent the boys from stealing them. At this point in his prayer, Mr. Pollard, who was standing up near him, tapped him on the shoulder and hu- morously said, '^ Uncle Jemmy, do you remember the time when I caught you in the orchard with your pockets full of apples?" Upon which Uncle Jemmy turned angrily round and said, ^* Oh, Mr. Pollard, you should never inter- rupt a man in his prayers, for those you know were only eating articles, and now you have spoiled my prayer." He, evidently conceiving that in his case there was no sin to steal " eating articles," though he had earnestly prayed that the boys might be prevented from doing the same thing.
My mother, belonging to the Methodist Connexion, en- forced on me very rigidly a regular attendance at chapel or church, and the reading of texts, prayers, and portions of Scripture, in the interval between the hours of attendance, so much so indeed, as to materially lessen the good she sought to confer ; for though I could seldom evade her vigilance, I began to think the duties imposed on me more irksome than profitable. The being obliged to fre- quent a place of worship three times of a Sunday, strictly prohibited all books but the Bible and Prayer-book, and not being allowed to enjoy a walk, unless to chapel, or recreation of any description, are sufficient to account for those boyish feelings. My poor mother, like too many serious persons of the present day, thought that the great power that has formed the numerous gay, sportive,
8 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
singing things of earth and air, must above all things be gratified with the solemn faces, prim clothes, and half sleepy demeanour of human beings ; and that true reli- gion consists in listening to the reiterated story of man's fall, of God's anger for his doing so, of man's sinful na- ture, of the redemption, and of other questionable matters, instead of the wonders and glories of the universe ; of the wondrous laws that govern it; of trying to understand and live in accordance with those laws; of performing our moral and religious duties ; of trying to improve ourselves and to elevate our race ; and of striving to make earth more in accordance with heaven. But although my mother was strict in the particulars I have referred to, she was very kind and indulgent to me in other respects. She took great pains in keeping me scrupulously clean and respect- able in my person, and — what I then thought a very superfluous duty —great pains to keep me from playing with the boys of the town ; for as I delighted in all kinds of boyish amusements, her mandates in this particular gave me much mental pain, as well as frequently involved me in many scrapes. But what enabled her, more than threats or promises, to keep me from vicious associates, was the encouragement she gave^ and the inducements and means she afforded me for amusing myself at home. She laboured to convince me that good of some descrip- tion was always to be realized from my cutting, carvings drawing, digging, or writing at home ; but that nothing but vice, mischief, or folly could be gained by associating with the ignorant, idle, and vicious boys with which the streets abounded. One of my amusements after school hours, was the enclosing, digging, and cultivating a very small flower garden, which I had formed partly out of an old ruin adjoining our house. Another was what I then designated '' drawing," being very rough sketches of birds, and flowers, more showy than natural. My first colours however, were only bits of different coloured stones, which I found on the beach, or dug out of the rocks when the tide was out, and which I rubbed down on another stone. But having copied out some bills for a German quack doctor, who lodged iu the neighbourhood for a short time
WILLIAM LOVJETT. 9
he gave me some information about the names, and the mixing of water colours, as well as the place and mode of purchasing better drawing materials at the market town. With a few pence, given to me by my indulgent mother^ I went and bought a few brilliant sorts, and the very showy productions these enabled me to make, soon met with a ready market among the neighbours, whose walls in a short time were very gaily, if not very tastefully, orna- mented. I also possessed some skill in the use of my knife ; and boats, carved birds, and the making of bird- cages, afforded me much amusement, as well as often pro- vided me with capital for new projects. It must not be supposed, however, that these home amusements, nor my mother's good advice, were so far effective as to keep me altogether from play ; for the love of it is so natural in youth, that the more it is sought to be restrained, the more it is craved after, and the buoyancy of feehng at times breaks through all restraints, especially when any great temptation presents itself. Such a temptation presented itself to me one fine moonlight night — and of a Sunday too — when a number of boys were assembled on the sands at play. My mother, I knew, had gone off to chapel, in the belief that I was safe at my aunt's taking tea, and as my aunt was not very particular in her enquiries when I went out, I bounded off as soon as I could to join in the fun. When I got down, however, I found the sands wetter than I expected, and having on a new jacket and trowsers, I began to think it would be better to look on than join in the play. Before long however, a mischie- vous fellow slyly suggested to another that it would be good fun to push me down and spoil my new clothes. The idea was no sooner suggested than it was acted on, for one of them came upon me suddenly and pushed me backwards, but in falling one of my legs caught under in some way, and produced a terrible sprain in my ankle, said by the doctor to be far worse than a broken bone. I was carried home by the boys; my mother was sent for from chapel, who pronounced it to be a judgment inflicted upon me for breaking the Sabbath,. but notwithstanding sent for the doctor. I suffered
10 LIFE AND STUUGGLES OF
great pain with it, and it took many weeks' doctoring before I had the use of it again. I had, however, scarcely got ovet this trouble when I got into another, though not so painful nor expensive. It happened that a very large basking shark was found floating on the ocean, by some of the fishermen of the town, and towed on shore. It was of course a favourable opportunity for an assemblage of boys ; and while the fishermen were busy in cutting it open, and taking out the great quantity of liver and oil found in it, the boys were busy in their way in extracting amusement out of it. The mouth of the fish having been propped open by means of handspikes, some boys — myself among the number — had got into its mouth cutting away a black stiff bristly fringe, that lined a part of it, and which bore a comb-like appearance. While we were thus busily employed, other mischievous fellows were busy in kicking the bottom of the handspikes on one side, which brought the jaws plop together and laid us sprawling at the bottom. Our cries soon brought assistance, and the mouth of the fish was opened, but the plight we were in from the oil and slime into which we were tumbled, can be better imagined than described. I remember it was some days before I got over my fright.
The time, however, had now arrived when it was neces- sary that I should learn some useful employment, and as my Uncle had been prosperous in his business of rope- making, it was resolved that I should be apprenticed to that trade. I was accordingly bound to a firm of three persons, for the term of seven years. But very soon after I was bound the partnership was dissolved, and I was transferred for the remainder of my time to the acting partner. I may here observe that the division of labour, which is generally carried on in London, and other large towns^ is not pursued in that part of the country, as far as ropemaking is concerned, so that an apprentice has to learn as many different branches of the trade as would take as many different apprenticeships to acquire in London and other places. This causes the country business to be a laborious one, and so I found it to be. Our rope-yard, being some distance from town, I had, in common with others, to
WILLIAM LO VETT, 1 1
carry to it heayy loads of hemp for our daily supply of spinning ; and it being an open yard, nor far from the sea- cliff, and very much exposed to the vi eather, caused me to feel the cold severely at first. I was also a mere strip- ling, very thin and tall, and no way fitted by my consti- tution for that laborious business. My master was also a very unfit person, at that time, for the instruction of youth, he being given to drink, very passionate, and scrupled not to relate in our presence many anecdotes of his dissipations among the women in early life. He was also very unreasonable at times, for he very frequently sent me with a heavy load of rope to the adjoining towns after I had done a hard day's work, so that when I re- turned home, my extreme fatigue has often taken away my appetite for food. But what I felt more severely than the labour inflicted on me, was the coming and going some of these lonely roads by night, for popular credulity had peo- pled particular spots with ghosts and appearances of various kinds, and in which I was a firm believer. For the numerous stories regarding those nocturnal visitants, told to me in infancy, reiterated in boyhood, and authenticated and confirmed by one neighbour after another, who had witnessed, they said, their existence in a variety of forms, riveted the belief in them so firmly in my brain, that it was many years after I came to London before I became a sceptic in ghosts. Nor was the belief in them confined to the young, for my master was so fearful of walking these lonely roads after dark, — when he went to neighbouring villages to collect his debts, or to obtain orders, — that he mostly ordered me or my fellow apprentice, to come to meet him, and accompany him home. I remember one dark winter evening going to meet him, in company with a young fellow I had induced to be my companion, and not finding my master at the place appointed, we had to follow him to the next village. Our road to this was up through a long dark lane, in a part of which a monu- mental stone was erected, on account of a murder having been committed there. Previous to our approach to this dreaded spot our fears had subdued our tongues and quickened our pulse ; but conceive our feelings, when
12 LIFE AND STR UGGLES OF
we saw through the darkness a monster ghost of about three feet high, with erect horns, and large eyes glaring at us, from immediately opposite the monument. We shrunk back for a moment in great terror, but our pre- sence seems to have alarmed the monster also, for it rose up and proved to be a farmer's heifer, which had quietly laid itself down in front of this murderer's monument — which folly had erected in a public highway — doubtless without ever suspecting it would be taken for a demon. On another occasion, Tvhen we were making a cable for a large Indiaman, I saw another of those supposed ghosts. It was of a Simday evening, and all the ropemakers of the town had assembled to help us with our large job, the consent of the parson having been first obtained, an es- sential requisite at that period, for working on a Sunday. About midnight my master found out that his stock of brandy was exhausted, and as the men on such occasions expected brandy, or other spirits, and as two welh known women lived at Household, a village about a mile off, who dealt in the smuggled article, he thought the night time very opportune for obtaining it. I was accord- ingly sent off with a large bottle to procure some. I went with a very sorrowful heart : for it was a solitary way along the edge of the cliff, it was a ghostly hour, and many were the ghosts and goblins that had been seen on that road. It was, however, a bright moonlight night, and I had scarcely proceeded a quarter of a mile before I saw in the distance before me what appeared to be the outline of a woman all in white. It being such a solitary road, and such a lone hour of night, that it never once entered my head to think it a being of flesh and blood. No, it must be a ghost, but there was one consolation, which I drew from the ghost stories I had heard, it must be good and not evil, for all good spirits were said to be white. Thus encouraged I went on, but with strange fears and curious imagin- ings notwithstanding, to overtake this good ghost; for though I was on the search after spirits, they were not of this complexion. The nearer I approached the better it seemed, as far as regards colour, for it was white from
WILLIAM LOVETT. 13
top to toe. When I got within a few yards of this stately slow walking figure I made a little noise with my feet, when lo! my ghost turned round and waited my approach, Alas I she was of the earth most earthly, for she proved to be the kept mistress of a lawyer of Penzance, and was re- turning home at this unseemly hour. Soon after my apprenticeship our home was broken up by my mother marrying a man with whom my grandmother and myself could not be comfortable ; we therefore took a small house and went to live together, our subsistence depending for the most part on the five shillings per week which I received as wages, eked out by the little which my grandmother could earn in the fiishing season. Our food consisted of barley- bread, fish and potatoes, with a bit of pork on Sun- days. In fact, barley-bread was the common food in my boyhood, excepting that the fishermen mostly took a wheaten loaf to sea with them. I have also heard my mother say that so scarce and dear was com of all kinds the year I was born in, that she could not get bread enough to satisfy her hunger, although she travelled many miles round about to seek to purchase it. It so happened that my bedroom window in this house was exactly opposite the window of a house having the reputation of being haunted. It was not, however, a deserted house, although most of its inmates had been frightened at different times by the ghost ; the particulars of which, and the forms it assumed, have often been told me by mother, son, and daughter, with whom I was well acquainted. Whether an indigestible supper had any- thing to do with their fright, I had not the sense then to enquire. For me to pass this house, when visiting a neighbour at night, required what Mrs. Chick would call " on effort.'^ But to avoid seeing the ghost from my bedroom window, I adopted the expedient of shutting my eyes whenever I entered the room. I mention these silly things to show that superstition of one kind or another was the curse of my boyhood, and I have reasons for believing that such notions are still firmly believed by thousands of our people. And those rulers, who by a wise system of education can succeed in enlightening the rising
14 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
generation, so that they may laugh down such absurdities, will render to society a benefit none can estimate so well as those who have been the victims of such superstitious delusions ; for, notwithstanding the progress of knowledge among our people, by means of the press, the school, and the rail, the belief in ghosts is still widely entertained. The last time but one when I visited my native place, there was quite a sensation there about a ghost that had been seen walking about without a head. For having laughed at the notion in presence of an old acquaintance of mine, a baker of the town, I was very seriously repri- manded, and told that I could not believe the Bible, for was it not said in it, that the Witch of Endor raised up the spirit or ghost of Samuel, and then he quoted other passages in favour of spirits. So deeply seated are these superstitious teachings, and so difficult are they to eradicate, that it is very much to be regretted that our sensational tale-writers still continue to foster the absurd notions of ghosts and goblins ; for though some may laugh at them, they have a very prejudicial efi'ect on the minds of others, and more especially on children. Being, as I have already said, fond of tools from a boy, I employed most of my leisure hours during my apprenticeship in making some- thing ornamental or useful. I became an adept in the making of bird-cages, boxes of various descriptions, and, as my grandmother designated them, gimcracks of every kind. I had also a turn for mechanism, and succeeded in making a small machine, similar to those used in factories for the spinning of twine, which pleased my master so well when he saw it, that he wished me to take it to the rope-yard, by means of which we might all learn to spin twine. But this spinning machine turned out to be an experiment productive of many disagreeables to me and my fellow apprentices ; for after my master had taught himself and two of us boys to spin twine, he took it into his head to make set-nets, crab-nets, and eventually a foot-seine, and then requested us to go to sea with him of an evening to catch fish with him. To this I had a great aversion on account of sea-sickness, a malady I could never get over; indeed, on one occasion during these
WILLIAM LO VETT 1 5
fishing excursions I narrowly escaped drowning. On ano- ther occasion during my apprenticeship I had another narrow escape from the kick of a horse. It occurred in this manner: a poor young fellow of the town, who had recently lost both father and mother, was dependent for his own and his brother's and sister's support, on any little jobs which he could obtain by the employment of a horse and cart, left him by his father. Not having means for the support of his horse, he was obliged to turn it about the lanes to shift for itself. Seeing the poor horse feeding on the scanty herbage in the road below our rope-yard, it struck my fellow apprentice and myself that it might procure better food for a short time at one end of our yard, where there was a good crop of grass. We accordingly drove the horse up, where it revelled for a good bit on its good fare, and when we thought it had got its belly full, we thought it well to drive it down again, lest our master might come out and find fault witb us. But on my approaching him to drive him down he threw out his two hind legs with great force, which, hitting me in the abdomen, sent me a great distance, and nearly struck the life out of me, the blow causing me to feel its painful efiects for some time, thus exhibiting a sorry example of horse ingratitude.
When I was about sixteen or seventeen, I had, among my female acquaintances, two or three straw-hat makers, to please whom I was induced to try the experiment of making for them some steel straw-splitters, which at that time were very difficult to procure, as well as expensive. These are small steel-pointed instruments with circular heads, divided into equal sharp-cutting divisions for split- ting the straws into equal portions of various degrees of fineness, the same being fixed into ivory or bone stocks. Having succeeded in my attempt, I had several orders to execute for others in the same business, for at that period straw -hat making was a female mania in our neighbour- hood. But what rendered my instruments of less value than those sold in the market town, was the inferiority of the stocks, they being made of wood carved with the pen- *, knife, instead of being turned out of ivory or bone. To
16 LIFB AND STRTIGGLBS OF
remedy this defect I was induced to direct my attention to the making of a turning lathe, from the description of one I had met with in the fragment of an old book, and, after a great deal of scheming and contriving, I made one that answered my purpose. This opened up to me a new field of amusement as well as some little profit, for I not only succeeded in setting off my straw-splitters with bone stocks, turned out of the nicely bleached bone I met with on the beach, but in a short time I acquired some skill in common turning. By this new contrivance my female friends were also provided with straw mills for the pressing of their plat, as well as with hat and bonnet blocks, and implements of various kinds. With the aid of my lathe I was also enabled to make spinning wheels for the spinning of twine for fishing lines, of which I made several. About this time I was also fortunate enough to get access to a carpenter's shop, in which cabinet work was occa- sionally executed. Here in my leisure hours and on holidays, I acquired some proficiency in the use of car- penters' tools, and by purchasing of the proprietor such bits of wood as I needed, I was permitted to plane and work them up upon a spare bench, ^ear the end of my apprenticeship I was permitted to visit a great uncle of mine, at a place called Porthleven, on the eastern coast of Mountsbay, and to have a week's holiday ; my uncle being then the huer of a pilchard seine at that place. At that time they were building Porthleven Pier, and during my stay I was witness of the immense power of the sea on that coast during a gale of wind. The end of the pier is built of immense stones dovetailed into one another, and secured by iron clamps along the edges. One of these layers had been put in its place before the gale came on, but had not been secured at the edges, and so powerful was the sea during the storm that the whole layer of these immense stones was driven out of its place, as if it had been a slice of bread. An old fisherman of the place took me round the coast, and, among other places, to the Loo Bar, where he gave me a graphic description of the different wrecks he had witnessed on that coast. He told me that he had seen an Indiaman completely wrecked by
WILLIAM LOVETT. 17
tte force of two waves, the one driving her on shore, and the other shattering her to pieces. He showed me the graves of many wrecked seamen he had helped to hury, one of which, he said, had thirty men in it. The young and most active, he said, were generally drowned first, as they dropped over the sides as soon as the vessel struck ground, believing the sand to be hard, and, as the waves receded very far, they thought they might save themselves by a run. But, unhappily, instead of solid sand they dropped on, it was quicksand, or sand and water, and which carried them out to sea like a rushing river. At this village I saw two remarkable persons. One was a poor demented creature, who preferred being out in all weather, and in gleaning her food from the dung-hills rather than enter the home provided for her, and it was with great difficulty she could be brought home to get a meal, or a change of clothing. When, however, she could be induced to eat at home she ate most voraciously, for I was witness, on one occasion, to her eating a large, heaped- up dish of potatoes that, I think, could not be far short of a gallon. I have seen her sitting down on a hill, during a drenching shower of rain, as unconcerned as if of no con- sequence. As her petticoats were ragged at the bottom, all round, as if torn in some curious way, I asked her who tore them so ; she told me it was the wind and the rain, but I afterwards learnt that they were torn by the dogs ; for, as she was exceedingly troublesome to the neighbours in begging for snuff, the dogs were often allowed to molest her. This poor creature, I was informed, was reduced to this sad condition in a singular way. She was, I was told, a few years previously a sprightly young woman, living as servant at a public-house in the village. It happened that, on one occasion, when she was up-stairs making the beds, that a deserter entered the house, and, calling for some drink, went into the parlour, where he was speedily followed by an officer of his regiment, and, a moment after, the report of a pistol was heard, and, when the room was entered, the deserter was found dead. The officer said that the soldier had resisted his arrest, which was the cause of his firing, though he only thought of wounding him.
2
18 LIFE AND STRTIQGLES OF
Asj however, the officer was known to be tte soldier's enemy, a trial took place, and, from the evidence given^ the case was going very strong against the former. At this juncture the servant girl, Betty, was called to give her evidence. She said that she was up-stairs making the beds, and, hearing a scuffle below, and then the sound of a gun, she ran down to the parlour and saw the man dead, and the officer standing over him. The word scuffle^ in Betty's evidence, is said to have saved the officer's life, and as she was much blamed for using this word — for, it seems, there was no scuffle— and she, greatly troubling about it, became in a few days a helpless lunatic. She was at first kept in confinement, but, soon proving harm- less, she was consigned to the care of an old couple in the village, and great trouble she seemed to have given them. The other singular person I have alluded to was an old lady, who was reputed to be a white witch, one who, from the ill she was believed able to inflict, was regarded by some with superstitious dread. She generally carried a basket about with her, containing all kinds of odds and ends, as well as food, and anything that Aunt Tammy took a fancy to, few who feared her, dared to refuse. I was witness myself to the power of her nimble and abusive ton one on two occasions, and can readily believe that few would like to come under its lash. The first occasion was on Porthleven Pier, where a crowd was assembled in con- sequence of a poor horse having fallen into the sea. A young man present happened to say to some one near him, *^ there is the old witch coming,'' which Aunt Tammy happening to hear, at once gave him a bit of her mind in a manner few, I think, could match, for it was so droll and laughable. Among other drolleries she told him that his mother was such a fool that she hung a pound of butter out in the sun to dry. That the reason of his being such a poor doodle was that his mother fed him on flies and potato peelings, and much more of a like kind that I can- not now recollect. The second time that 1 heard some of her abusive drolleries, was when I went into Helston Court- house one day to hear the trials. The reason, I found, of Aunt Tammy being there was on account of her daughter
WILLIAM L 0 VETT. 1 9
and another girl, being charged with stealing apples. Before the magistrates made their appearance, Aunt Tammy had stationed herself in the place allotted to delinquents, and on one of the officials telling her she must move to some other place, she opened out upon him in her peculiar style. She seemed to have known his pedigree for generations back, and depicted them and him in a manner that convulsed every one present with laugh- ter. When the magistrates came they were informed of what had laken place, but as she insisted that she had business there, and as they seemingly knew her capability of tongue, she was allowed to remain till her daughter's case was brought on, notwithstanding some curious remarks she made on a previous case. As soon as her daughter was brought in and placed beside her, the old lady gave her such a smacking on the back as to nearly take away her breath. Then, turning to the magistrates, and familiarly calling them by name, she said, " Now, before you begin business, I have something very nice in my basket for you," and, opening it, she presented, in a clean white cloth, a large piece of apple-cake, nicely spread over with clotted cream. The piece of cake was then conveyed, amid much fun and laughter, and presented to the parson, who, very graciously refusing, passed it on to another, and 80 to all the gentlemen on the bench, and on its being returned back to Aunt Tammy, she very bluntly said, " Well, if you are all too proud to taste an old woman's cake I must eat it myself." Her daughter's case then pro- ceeded, not without numerous observations of Aunt Tammy, and when the two girls had been found guilty, and con- demned to pay the fine of a pound, she, after a few extra slaps on her girl's back, turned round to the magistrates and said, " Well, I have no money to pay the fine, and I tell you what I shall do ; I shall come round to you to-morrow, to see what you are going to give me towards it. I shall first call on Parson Rogers, and I know I shall get some- thing from him, and I believe, after that, none of you will be shabby enough to send me away empty-handed," and, having thus said her say. Aunt Tammy left the court. I must here state that within a few months of the time I
20 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
was bound for, I fcund great difficulty in getting from my master the wages due to me, and was eventually obliged to summon him before the magistrates of Pen- zance to obtain them. Haying succeeded, but knowing it would be equally difficult to obtain them in future, as trade was very bad with my master, my friends got him to give up my indentures. Thus free and my own master, the next question was what was I to do for a living t The trade of ropemaking was at that time very bad, owing^ among other causes, to the introduction of chain as a sub- stitute for rope for a great variety of purposes. Thus, it was very difficult to obtain employment at my trade, unless for a few weeks in the winter when vessels came into the bay disabled and wanting ropes. I was therefore in- duced by my great uncle to turn my attention to the fishery as the next alternative ; and obtaining a berth on o, pilchard seine I pursued it during the season. But un- happily I could never get over my sea-sickness if the weather was the least rough ; in fact I have been ill at times before I had got on the boat— ill from the appre- hension of the evil — and this more especially if there was an easterly wind, for that wind produced on our shore short cross loping waves, the movements of which seemed to turn your intestines over your stomach, and your stomach inside out, and to extract gall enough from your liver to embitter your whole existence. It was, however, owing to this malady that I was obliged to give up the fishery, or otherwise I might have become a fisherman for life ; for my uncle, having a large boat and nets of his own, and no child to inherit them, and he getting up in years, was very desirous of myself becoming qualified to take his place. But this was not to be, and hence the career I ani about to record. The seining season being over, I chanced to meet with a carpenter belonging to a village a short distance off, and he knowing me and knowing my mecha- nical habits made me a favourable off'er to come to work with him, which I did for a short time, helping him to saw some wood with the pit-saw, and to do the woodwork of a cottage which he was then erecting. But two or three young carpenters, who were serving their apprenticeship at
WILLIAM LO VETT. 2 1
Penzance, were so exasperated to find that a ropemaker could find employment as a carpenter, that they called upon my employer, and talked of legal consequences, and he, being timidly apprehensive of what might take place, told me that he was sorry in being compelled to break his engagement with me. Thus was I again out of employ- ment. I then made a walking tour of many miles to difierent towns (goin^ as far as Falmouth) to see if I could get work as a ropemaker, but I was unsuccessful.
Having said thus much of my ropemaking, of my mechanical and other pursuits, it may be necessary to state that I was also fond of reading from a boy, but found great difficulty in procuring instructive books. There was no bookshop in the town — scarcely a newspaper taken in, *• unless among the few gentry — and there was at that period a considerable number of the adult population who could not read. To the best of my recollection there was only one bookseller's shop in the market town, and, with the exception of bibles and prayer-books, spelling-books, and a few religious works, the only books in circulation for the masses were a few story-books and romances, filled with absurdities about giants, spirits, goblins, and super- natural horrors. The price of these, however, precluded m.e from purchasing any, although- I was sometimes ena- bled to borrow one from an acquaintance. Therefore the Bible^ and prayer and hymn book, and a few religious tracts, together with fragments of an old magazine, and occasionally one of the nonsensical pamphlets described, were all the books I ever read till I was upwards of twenty- one years of age. As I could write tolerably well, I had to write love letters for many yoimg neighbours, and some I voluntarily undertook to teach to write, and this helped in some degree my own improvement. But in looking back upon this period of my youth, and contrasting it with the present, and the advantages that young people have in the present age — in the multiplicity of cheap books, newspapers, lectures, and other numerous means of instruction — I cannot help regretting that I was so unfortunately placed; for, with a desiro for knowledge, I had neither books to enlighten nor a teacher to instruct.
22 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
A. young man of my own age was my companion of an evening very frequently during my apprenticeship, but he too like myself was ignorant. Of the causes of day and night, of the seasons, and of the common phenomena of nature we knew nothing, and curious were our specu- lations regarding them. We had heard of "the sun ruling by day, and the moon by night," but how or in what way they ruled was a mystery we could never solve. With minds thus ignorant, persons need not be surprised that we were very superstitious.
I have already stated that I was brought up to attend very regularly the methodist chapel, but I never joined their connection, although I was induced to join for a short time a sect called the Bryanites. I think it was the novelty of their female preachers that first induced me and a young man — my companion — to visit their place of worship ; and being there the persuasive elo- quence of two young women caused us to be impressed with the general religious enthusiasm that prevailed among the congregation. We afterwards went to hear them a few times, and became what they called " con- verted members." But though my companion seems to have acquired in a short time the conviction that his sins were forgiven him, I could never work my imagination up to that point. I was, however, very penitent and sincere in my devotions ; I attended their prayer-meetings and class-meetings very earnestly, and it was only when we learnt that our young female preachers had been turned out of the body — they having fallen from their saintly position by being with child — that I left the connection. In my frequent visits to the carpenter's shop I have alluded to, I met with an old sea captain of the town, who was there having some work executed, and having often seen me there, entered into conversation with me. He asked me many questions regarding my trade, and eventually pointed out to me the great improbability of the trade of ropemaking ever again affording me con- stant employment in that part of the country. He told me also of the far greater chances I should meet with in such a place as London; "for," said he, "if you
WILLIAM LOVETT. 23
fail of getting work as a ropemaker, there is every opportunity of your getting a berth as a ropemaker aboard an Indiaman, or other large ship, and a rope- maker is at once considered an able seaman." For some time previous to this my home had been rendered un- comfortable to me ; for my scanty means of subsistence, my poor mother's very unhappy marriage, and the diffi- culty of getting employment, all tended to cause the conversation of this old gentleman to make a greater impression on my mind. A consideration therefore of the evil of wasting my youthful days at home in a state of half-starving idleness, and the youthful hope that something advantageous might turn out for me abroad, soon determined me to leave home whenever a favourable opportunity presented itself. But there were two great difficulties to be surmounted. In the first place I had to obtain the consent of my friends, who were very much opposed at first to my leaving home ; and I felt a great reluctance to leave in opposition to the wishes of my mother, aunt, and grandmother. In the next place I had no money for such a journey ; my friends were too poor to assist me, and the prospect of earning any by my trade was as gloomy as could well be. However, after some weeks had transpired, I obtained from my friends a half- reluctant consent ; for the conviction of my poor old grandmother that she should never see me again, bound me the closer to her heart ; and though her sister gave her a room on her premises to live in, and promised other- wise to assist her in my absence, it was with great pain that we eventually parted. I regret to add, that I never saw her again, for she died soon after I left. To raise the pecunfary means for my journey, I went to the next town and, with a few shillings I had raised, I purchased some mahogany veneers and other requisites for making a lady's work-box, with secret drawers, together with a pair of tea-caddies. These I got up in the best style I was master of, and being fortunate enough to dispose of them, together with two or three little trinkets 1 had by me, I increased by these means my stock of money to about fifty shillings. Having got so much towards my voyage.
24 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
I commenced anotlier work-box which, when I set out for London, the captain of a small trading vessel agreed to take as part payment of my passage money. Previous to leaving home I had procured two or three letters of re- commendation to master ropemakers in London ; and with these, and a stout heart, I set out on my voyage of adventure. I left home on the 23rd of June, 1821, and in the course of a few days, I forget how many, for we were becalmed a portion of the time, I arrived in the great city, with the clear sum of thirty shillings in my pocket ; knowing no one, nor being known to any. Having heard a great many curious stories in the country, about London crimping-houses, and London thieves, I thought it best to lodge near the wharf at first, till I had become a little acquainted with the place. I was therefore induced to put up at a public-house near the wharf, where the Cornish vessels generally land ; and early the next morning I set out with my recommendatory letters. In passing the Borough end of the old London Bridge I recollect being forcibly struck with the number of blackened eyes, and scratched and battered faces, that I met with among the labourers going to their employments ; the result, I afterwards learnt, of their Saturday eveuing and Sunday sprees. Owing, however, to the general slackness of the ropemaking business at that period, my recommendatory letters failed of procuring me employment ; although I found them useful in enabling me to extend the circle of my enquiries, which, to a stranger in London, is no trifling advantage. After canvassing about for nearly a fortnight among all the rope-yards I could hear of and, failing of success, I began to thiak myself very unfortunate. How- ever, I fared very hard and sought about for work in every direction, as I had made up my mind to accept of any kind of honest employment, rather than go home again without any. One evening on my return to my lodgings I met with three countrymen, carpenters by trade. They were, however, strangers to me, but coming from the same county, we soon became acquainted. In the course of conversation with them I said that I had picked up some slight knowledge of their trade, and that
WILLIAM LOVJSTT. 25
I thought I might be useful in a short time if I could get employment in a shop, oi building, at low wages. As they were themselves out of employment, they readily agreed that I should go round with them to seek for some ; and that if we were fortunate enough to get work together in some building, I should do what I could of the roughest part of it, and should allow them half-a-crown each weekly, in consideration of my not having served any time to the business. To this proposition I readily con- sented, as I was very anxious to learn the trade, and the following morning we went round together. Two of my companions, however, were fortunate enough to get work in a few days, and I was left with my other partner to shift for ourselves as we best could. My companion was a young man just out of his time, he also had recently come to London, and like myself had very little money. Indeed my own purse was so scanty that I was necessitated to economize so far as to be content with a penny loaf a day and a drink from the most convenient pump for several weeks in succession. We generally got up at five o'clock and walked about enquiring at different shops and build- ings till about nine ; we then bought one penny loaf and divided it between us ; then walked about again till four or five in the afternoon, when we finished our day's work with another divided loaf; and very early retired to bed footsore and hungry. My health at that time, however, enabled me to put up with those privations tolerably well, although my stomach often rebelled against them. At that period too, the water at the public-house we lodged at was very bad ; the Thames water, being then pumped up by means of large water works at the end of old London Bridge, had all kinds of impurities in it when first pumped up, and the smell and taste of it was abominable ; and this to me was a disagreeable worse even than hunger. Our landlady, too, had little compassion for those of her lodgers who dad not drink, for she would not allow us to cook even a meal of potatoes. One day, however, as we were passing down Drury-lane together, on seeing some carpenters at work I went up to one of them who appeared to be the foreman, to ask if he could give me a job. He
26 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
said he would^ as he wanted some flooring laid in a hurry, and requested me to bring my tools next morning. Having so far succeeded I was anxious to introduce my companion, the person who was to have been my instructor in the business, but from his boyish appearance or some other cause, the foreman would not engage him. This to me was a sad misfortune, to be deprived of the only person who could render me any assistance in this new occupation, for I had never seen any flooring laid, nor, indeed, much work done in the building line. But my low purse and gloomy prospects emboldened me to prepare for the morrow. I had brought from home a hammer, a chisel or two, and a few other trifling tools : to these I added a few more bought at a secondhand tool shop, and a few others borrowed from my companion. I passed a very anxious and sleepless night, and early in the morning away I went to my new occupation, wondering what would be the result. It so happened, however, that fortune favoured me in this instance. I had a very joyous fellow for my partner, and when he took up one end of the board I took up the other, and by watching very carefully all his movements I soon got hold of the method of laying flooring. I was also fortunate enough to continue in this place till I had replenished my purse to the extent of about fifty shillings. This job having been concluded I was presumptuous enough to go round by myself and seek for another; and in a few days was oflered some small staircases to make by the piece, provided I could get a partner to assist me. My young companion, however, had got work in the interim ; but meeting at my lodgings with another countryman, who had just arrived in town, we went and took the work together ; I agreeing, at the same time, to give my partner half-a- crown a week out of my earnings, and to do the roughest and hardest part of the work. In about a fortnight's time, however, my fellow countryman got sick of London and went home again, leaving me in the midst of my staircase work, and this being one of the most difficult branches of the business, I was obliged to relinquish it, and at a great sacrifice. Having again sought about for employment for a number
WILLIAM L 0 VETT. 27
of weeks, and having failed to secure any, and being at the same time in a half-starved condition, I began to despair of ever learning the business of a carpenter, and at last, very reluctantly, made up my mind to seek for a rope- maker's situation on board some large vessel. Some of the sailors at the wharf having referred me to an old retired sea captain, who made it his business to look out for berths for seamen ; he readily engaged to procure me a situation on board an Indiaman for the fee of a few shillings. Within the week I received a note stating that he had been successful, and that I was to meet him and others at a stated place about the final arrangement. Before, however, I went to engage myself, I thought I would go to see two of my fellow townsmen, who had very recently come to London ; one of them being the very person whose shop I was in the habit of frequenting at home. He had failed in his business as a master and had come to town to work as a journeyman, and had, in conjunction with another countryman, been fortunate enough to obtain work the first week of their arrival in a small shop in Cromer Street, Somers Town. Being, therefore, well acquainted with one of those persons, I was desirous of consulting him before I engaged myself as a sailor; for, as I had a great dislike to the sea, I was hopeful that he might have heard of some kind of employ- m.ent for me. I accordingly went to see him at his place of work, and when I mentioned to him my intention of going to sea he did all he could to dissuade me from it, telling me that it would break my mother's and grand- ^ mother's hearts. I informed him how I was situated, and the doubts I entertained of ever getting work at my trade, or of ever getting an opportunity of learning another. The master of the workshop happening to be present, and hearing our conversation, asked me if I thought I could do cabinet work if he employed me. While I was hesitating as to the answer I could give him, my countryman expressed his opinion in the affirmative, and having explained to him what he knew of me, and what work he had seen me do, I was requested to come the following morning and to bring what tools I had with me.
28 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
This person, being what is called "a trade- working master," gave me at first a portion of his own job to execute, and being fortunate enough to please him he next gave me work on my own account. With this master I continued to work for several months, during which time I acquired some proficiency in making such kinds of furniture as he manufactured ; being chiefly cabinets, commodes, loo-tables, and card-tables for the London brokers. We worked by the piece, and the price was low ; but long hours, industry and economy, helped me along tolerably well. I was now enabled to provide myself with a few clothes which I was much in want of, a coat in particular : for my dress hitherto was that of a sailor (like most of the young men of my native town at that time), and operated, T believe, very much to my disadvantage in obtaining work in London. During this period I also made myself a tool- chest, and had begun to accumulate a few tools, and should have added others had I been paid my wages regularly ; but my employer generally paid us something short of our money every week, and at last got into my debt to the amount of between six or seven pounds and nearly similar amounts to my two countrymen. One Saturday evening, when pay-time came, he astounded us all by informing us that he should have to go into the Fleet prison the following week for debt. He assured us, however, that he would pay us all the money he owed us when the work was finished which was then in hand, especially if we would go and help to finish it in a workshop which he had taken within the rules of the prison ; and as some sort of security he gave me one of his beds to take care of, and to the others other articles of furniture. We accordingly went to work for him the following week in a little shop in one of the lanes near the Fleet prison ; my old acquaintance, however, did little work, he being a little too fond of drink, my employer otherwise engaged with the view of eventually cheating us all. When the work on hand was completed the two youngest of us received a message from our employer, stating that he wanted to speak with us in the prison. When we went, he very coolly told us that he had no further need of our services. I then
WILLIAM L 0 VETT, 29
Very quietly asked him how we were to be paid the money he owed us, on which he gave me a backward push and bade me not insult him in a prison. This, being a little too much for my Cornish blood, was repaid by a blow that sent him to a respectful distance, which led to the interference of an officer, who when he heard how we had been imposed upon, seemed to sympathize with us. My other old countryman he subsequently served still worse, for having sent him some distance into the country, under the plea of collecting money, he not only got the shop cleared of all the furniture made during his absence, but of the old man's tools also ; and he not getting any money, was obliged to travel to town as he best could. I have mentioned that a bed was left in my possession by my employer before he went into prison : this he soon sent a person to demand, but my landlady, in my absence, refused to give it up. Threats having been used respect- ing it, I deemed it necessary to apply to a magistrate ; who, when he heard the case, told me to refer the parties to him. This I was induced to do, as my em- ployer had sent an old watchman, a friend of his, the night before, to try and capture me after I had gone to bed, and to take me to the watch-house, with a view of frighten- ing me, and causing me to give up the bed. When I heard him however, I dressed myself quietl}^ and slipped over the garden wall into the fields at the back, then occu- pied by Smith's large dust-heaps, and into a soft portion of which I plunged halfway up the body in my hurry to escape. On examining the bed, however, it turned out to be a paltry wool one instead of a feather one, and worth but the merest trifle. Being thus once more out of em- ployment, and without money — for I had to keep my- self while I was helping to finish the work referred to — I felt myself worse off in a pecuniary sense than ever, for I owed my landlady a trifle for rent. She, however, soon devised the means of payment, for she caused wood to be purchased, and got me to make her up some furniture, for a mere subsistence, in a back kitchen ; which served me both for bedroom and workshop. This place, being wretchedly damp and unhealthy, soon laid me up with a
so LIFE AND STRXraGLES OF
severe fit of illness, which was so far aggravated by the want of proper food and comforts, as to materially injure my constitution. Having recovered a little from my ill- ness, I procured the loan of a few shillings from a kind old schoolmaster who lodged in the same house, and with these I purchased wood and made up some trifling articles of furniture, which I hawked about to dispose of among the brokers. But I found this a wretched life ; for the work- ing and sleeping in my miserable kitchen, and the difficulty of selling what articles I made up at a price to enable me to live, soon caused me to abandon that speculation. With the little knowledge and experience I had now acquired of cabinet-making I resolved to go round and seek work in that line, instead of my former ones of ropemaking and car- pentry. After walking about for some days I got employ- ment in a small shop in Castle Street,Oxford Market, a place where repairs of buhl-work, marquetry, and antique furni ture were principally executed. Here I was fortunate enough to meet with a journeyman of the name of David Todd, a native of Peebles, one of the most intelligent, kind-hearted and best disposed men I ever met with. He, finding that I had not served an apprenticeship to the business, not only gave me every assistance and information I required in my work, but advised me as to my best mode of pro- ceeding, with all the benevolence and anxiety of a father. By his advice I was induced to offer myself as a member of the Cabinet Makers' Society, he having kindly pointed out to me the extreme difficul ty I should have of ever obtain- ing employment in any respectable shop unless I belonged to them. But as I had not " worked or served five years to the business " (as their rules required), and as a jealous countryman of mine had informed them that I had served my time to a ropemaker and not to a cabinet-maker, they refused to admit me. Failing in this object, my kind friend got me a situation at Messrs. cabinet manu- factory, where I entered into an agreement to work for them for twelve months for a guinea a-week. They were at that time cabinet-makers to the King, and consequently executed a great variety of work. At the time I am speaking of, this was not a Society shop, and a number of
WILLIAM L 0 VETT. 3 1
persons were employed there of very drunken and dissi- pated habits. When I first went among them they talked of ** setting Mother Shorney at me " ; this is a cant term in the trade, and meant the putting away of your tools, the injuring of your work, and annoying you in such a way as to drive you out of the shop. This feeling against me was occasioned by my coming there to work without having served an apprenticeship to the business. As soon, there- fore, as I was made acquainted with their feelings and in- tentions towards me, I thought it best to call a shop-meeting, and lay my case before them. To call a meeting of this description the first requisite was to send for a quantity of drink (generally a gallon of ale), and then to strike your hammer and holdfast together, which, making a bell- J ike sound, is a summons causing all in the shop to assemble around your bench. A chairman is then appointed, and you are called upon to state your business » In my case, I briefly told them that the reason of my calling them together was on account of the feeling they manifested towards me, which I hoped would be removed when they had heard my story. I then went on to describe how I had wasted the prime of my life in learning a trade which I found comparatively useless ; and appealed to their sense of justice to determine whether it was right to prevent me from learning another. By thus appealing to them in time the majority of them took my part, and others were even- tually won over and induced to be friendly. But the demands made upon me for drink by individuals among them, for being shown the manner of doing any particular kind of work, together with fines and shop scores, often amounted to seven or eight shillings a week out of my guinea. However, by taking particular notice of every description of work I saw done in the shop, I became tole- rably well acquainted with the general run of work by the expiration of my time. Soon after I was engaged I re- member that I had to make a work-table, the top of which was made out of what was called ^* The Wellington Tree of the field of Waterloo," that under the shelter of which the Duke is said to have stood during the early part of the battle. My little table had a silver plate let into the
32 LIFE AKD STRUGGLES OF
top stating this. When the expiration of my appren- ticeship took place I thought myself entitled to an advance of wages ; but the answer to my request being delayed from time to time, and an opportunity presenting itself of obtaining work in another shop in Catherine Street, Strand, at full wages, I thought it wise to embrace it. I may here mention that a great improvement, mentally and morally, has taken place among the working classes of London since that period. There were then comparatively few coffee-houses and eating-houses frequented by working men; workmen, who worked at a distance from their homes, mostly getting their meals at public- houses. And this great inducement to drink was still further increased by the temptation those places held out, to the young and thoughtless, by the establishment of Singing Clubs and Free and Easies — places that I have known to be the de- struction of many of my shopmates — not from the musical attractions they afforded, but from the habits of drunken- ness and dissipation they engendered. Pugilism also, at this period, was patronized by numbers of the nobility and gentry as " a glorious art of self-defence," and those who had acquired the '^ science !" as it was called, were very prone to display their pugilistic prowess in the public streets, and regular concerted contests might be often witnessed in the fields surrounding London on Sunday mornings, with- out much danger of interruption from the Bow Street officers. In fact I have seen three pitched battles carried on at one time of a Sunday morning, in Broad Street, St. Giles's, without any one interfering or striving to part them, except their wives, and these occasionally fought with one another. After I had worked for about twelve months at two other shops, I was fortunate enough to obtain employment at another csbinet-maker's at Castle Street, Oxford Market — at a place where I worked a sufficient number of years to qualify me for joining the Cabinet Makers' Society, of which body I was soon after elected a member, and sub- sequently president. This society is composed of a very respectable body of journeymen, and had then been established for nearly seventy years, an important object of their union, worthy of imitation by others, being the
WILLIAM LOVJBTT. 33
affording of subsistence to their members when out of employment. I may here notice, too, the great improve- ment that has taken place in cabinet-making during my time, both in English and French furniture. When I first came to London, English-made furniture was generally substantial and well made, but the design was far from elegant and the finish by no means attractive, as most of it was polished with wax or oil ; very little French polish being then used. The French furniture — which I had a good opportunity of seeing in the first cabinet shop I worked at — was tastefully designed and elegantly polished, but the work in most cases was very roughly done and far from being substantial. I have repaired cabinets that were veneered with tortoise shell inlaid with silver, the drawers of which were nailed together instead of being dove-tailed, and which were so loosely and badly fitting that you might pitch them in at a distance. The intercourse since then, however, between the two countries has led to the mutual improvement of both, as our English furniture has greatly improved in design and finish, while that of the French is far more substantial and made in a more workmanlike manner.
34 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
CHAPTER II.
Owing to the many difl&culties I had met with in the way of learning a trade by which to earn my bread, I had hitherto made very little intellectual progress. My pro- vincialisms and bad English being often corrected by the kind old schoolmaster I have referred to, I was induced by his advice to study Lindley Murray's Grammar, and by making it my pocket companion for a few months, and studying it in all my leisui^e hours, I was enabled to correct some of my glaring imperfections in speaking. That which first stimulated me to intellectual enquiry, and which laid the foundation of what little knowledge I possess, was my being introduced to a small literary association, entitled '' The Liberals," which met in Gerrard Street, Newport Market. It was composed chiefly of working men, who paid a small weekly subscription towards the formation of a select library of books for circulation among one another. They met together, if I remember rightly, on two evenings in the week, on one of which occasions they had generally some question for discussion, either literary, political, or metaphysical. It was by the merest accident that I was introduced to one of their dis- cussions by a member, and you may judge of its effects on me when I state that it was the first time that I had ever heard impromptu speaking out of the pulpit— my notions then being that such speaking was a kind of inspiration fromGod — and also that thequestion discussed that evening was a metaphysical one respecting the soul. There were very excellent speeches made on that occasion which riveted my most earnest attention, and from what I heard on. that evening I felt for the first time in my life how very ignorant I was and how very deficient in being able
WILLIAM LOVETT. 35
to give a reason for the opinions and tlie hopes I enter- tained. Seeing that their library contained the works of Paley and other authors that I had often heard cited from the pulpit as the great champions of Christianity, I felt an ardent wish to read and study them. From my friend Mr. Todd, who was present, I received an invitation to attend their next meeting, and being subsequently pro- posed by him I was very shortly after elected a member. I now became seized with an enthusiastic desire to read and treasure up all I could meet with on the subject of Christianity, and in a short time was induced to join my voice to that of others in its defence whenever the question became the subject of debate ; and often have I sat up till morning dawned reading and preparing myself with arguments in support of its principles. Political questions being also often discussed in our association^ caused me to turn my attention to political works, and eventually to take a great interest in the parliamentary debates and questions of the day. In short, my mind seemed to be awakened to a new mental existence ; new feelings, hopes, and aspirations sprang up within me, and every spare moment was devoted to the acquisition of some kind of useful knowledge. I now joined several other associations in its pursuit, and for a number of years seldom took a meal without a book of some description beside me, and to this day relish my meals the better for such an accompani- ment. I joined also the Mechanics' Institute, which was just started, and before the present building was erected, and attended its lectures very regularly. I remember being forcibly struck on one occasion, when Dr. Birkbeck was giving some lectures on the senses, on hearing several dumb boys speak, which I looked upon for the moment as some- thing miraculous. But the explanation of the doctor soon dissipated the miracle ; for he told us that they were taught by the eye instead of the ear ; first by noticing the action of the mouth and outward movements of the larynx during the pronunciation of vowels and consonants, and trying to imitate the sounds, and then proceeding to words and sentences. They had in this way made such proficiency that they could readily answer any question
36 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
asked of them ; indeed, one of them repeated a portion of Gray's Elegy, and that very distinctly, the only defect being in the modulation of the voice, as they could not be brought to distinguish the various tones of it. I remember that on leaving the lecture- room on that occasion I got into conversation with Sir Kichard Phillips, the author, and walked with him round and round 8t. Paul's church- yard, Newgate Street, and the old Bailey for several hours, it being a bright moonlight night, while he explained to ine many of his scientific theories, among others one which he entertained in opposition to Sir Isaac Newton's theory of gravitation, Sir Richard illustrating his theory by diagrams made with a piece of chalk on the walls and window shutters. About this time, too, I was very fond of attending debating places, especially Tom's Coffee House, in Holborn, and Lunt's Coffee House, on Clerkenwell Green, where, among other celebrities who took part in the discussions, 1 heard Gale Jones, the Rev. Robert Taylor, C. Whenman, Richard Carlisle, and others. It was at Lunt's that I first saw George Thompson, the eloquent anti-slavery advocate, and where I think he raade his first attempt at public speaking. I commenced also about this time the collection of a small library of my own, the shelves of which were often supplied by cheating the stomach with bread and cheese dinners. But in the midst of these pursuits after knowledge my attention was arrested by a new object, b\ her who for the last forty-nine years has been my kind and affectionate wife. And regarding that meeting as one of the most fortunate events in my life, I think it well to give its brief history.
My wife is a native of Kent, the daughter of a car- penter formerly in a small way of business at Pegwell, near Ramsgate. Her brother at that period being in business at Boulogne, she went over to be his housekeeper, but on his subsequent marriage she engaged herself as lady's maid in an English family. Having come over to London on a short visit with her mistress, she was in the habit of frequenting Mar}lebone Church, where she first attracted my attention on my going there to hear on one ocacsion the celebrated Dr. Busheid. In a short time I .
WILLIAM LOVETT. 37
introduced myself to her notice, and, though repulsed at first, was eventully permitted to visit the house and accepted as her future husband. All things now seemed bright and prosperous with me, but a circumstance soon transpired which for a time withered up all my hopes of happiness. This was a difference in our religious views and opinions ; one of the universal causes of dissension throughout the world instead of union. My intended wife, having been brought up in the views of the Estab- lished Church, regarded its forms and ceremonies with the greatest veneration. I, on the other hand, had been led from my recent studies to look upon practical Christianity as a union for the promotion of brotherly kindness and good deeds to one another, and not a thing of form and profession for mercenary idlers to profit by, who in their miserable interpretations of it too often cause men to neglect the improvement of the present in their aspira- tions of the future. The explanation of my religious views was called forth by her soliciting me to go with her on the following Sunday to take the sacrament, which, from conscientious motives, I was obliged to refuse. This, as may be supposed, led to some further explanation regarding my religious opinions, for I was resolved to be candid and explicit at all risks, and not subject myself hereafter to the charge of subterfuge and hypocrisy. My Mary, having been brought up to regard the sacrament as one of the great essentials of religion, after hear- ing my opinion, at once candidly declared that she could not conscientiously unite her destinies with any man whose opinions so widely differed from her own. This avowal I felt with the severest anguish ; and our parting that evening was to me like the parting of the mental and bodily powers. I tried to summon some little philosophy to m.y aid, but philosophy I believe has little control over this strong and powerful passion ; and months elapsed before I recovered sufficiently from the shock to resume quietly my usual avocations. In order, however, to divert my mind as much as possible from the object that so affected me, I went and joined several associations ; literary, scientific, and political. At one or other of these I spent
38 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
my evenings, and in this way I believe profited to some extent; although I have since regretted I never went through a regular course of study. And this means of diverting the mind from the object that preys upon it, I would venture to recommend to all those who may ex- perience a similar heart-rending disappointment ; for such pursuits serve to excite and strengthen one set of faculties to enable them to overcome the force of another. At all events, between active labour by day, and a variety of intellectual pursuits of an evening, I had so far subdued my feelings in the course of twelve months, that T began to plan out for myself the life of a bachelor. On returning from my work, however, one evening I found a little letter which soon dissipated that notion. It informed me that the wiiter, having again arrived at Dover with her mistress for a few days, had presumed to send me the compliments of the season (it being Christmas time), and at the same time hoped that my opinions on the subject of the sacrament had undergone a change. This opened up between us a kind of controversial correspondence on the subject — she having shortly after gone back to Boulogne — the result of which was that our religious opinions became perfectly satisfactory to one another, and terminated by her coming over to England and accepting me as her husband, we being married on the 3rd of June, 1826.* In the interim, however, I had provided for this event as far as possible, by making my own furniture, and by otherwise providing for her a comfortable home. I need scarcely say that on my marriage I gave up the different associations I had been connected with ; as well from motives of economy as from a desire to make my home a place of happiness. Perceiving also that much of the bickerings and dissensions often found in the domestic circle had their origin in the wife's not understanding and appreciating her husband's political or Hterary pursuits ; too often coupled with his carelessness and indifference in enlightening and instructing her regarding them; I
♦ This correspondence we thought it well to burn when I was drawn for the militia, tearing it might get into strange hands.
•*
WILLIAM L 0 VETT 3 9
resolved, if possible, to avoid this evil by pursuing an opposite course of conduct. My chief recreation at this period was in reading ; my meal hours and my evenings being earnestly devoted to the attainment of some descrip- tion of knowledge. Soon after my marriage I began also my first attempts in writing short pieces for the press. In all these matters I sought to interest my wife, by reading and explaining to her the various subjects that came before us, as well as the political topics of the day. I sought also to convince her that, beyond the pleasure knowledge conferred on ourselves, we had a duty to perform in endeavouring to use it wisely for others. I endeavoured to make her understand how much of our social improvement ard political progress had depended on past sacrifices and bafferings on the part of our fore- fathers, and how much the happiness of the future will depend on each and all of us doing our duty in the present as our brave old forefathers had done. And in looking back upon this period how often have I found cause for satisfaction that I pursued this course, as my wife's ap- preciation of my humble exertions has ever been the chief hope to cheer, and best aid to sustain me, under the many difficulties and trials I have encountered in my political career. She has ever been to me
" A guardian angel o'er my life presiding, Doubling my pleasure and my cares dividing."
When I married her she was a tall, handsome, fresh coloured girl ; but she, haviug received a push in the back from her sister when young, received an injury to her spine. The appearance of it was scarcely perceptible for many years, but when she began to have children her spine began to give way, so that now in her old age she is about a head shorter than when I married her. For two years after my marriage I was in good employment, at a cabinet maker's in St. Paul's Churchyard. Having now got all our little household comforts about us, and a few pounds in our possession, my wife was desirous of getting into some small way of business that she herself could manage ; in the hopes of making some little pro-
40 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
vision for the sickness that might happen, and for the old age and infirmities sooner or later almost sure to overtake us. An acquaintance of mine, having recently commenced the business of a pastry-cook and confectioner, proposed to us that if we would take a small shop in some thorough- fare, and commence that line of business he would serve us on very advantageous terms. Thinking his terms favourable we agreed to try the experiment. We accord- ingly took a small shop in May's Buildings, St. Martins Lane, which we fitted up and stocked to the extent of our means. Our sale, however, not being such as my friend of large promise expected, he very soon refused to supply our small demands for Jiis goods. This disappointment at the commencement of our speculation entailed on us a great inconvenience as well as loss ; for we had to look out for others to serve us on less favourable terms. To still further help us down the hill I was laid up soon after our opening with the ague ; a disease which I caught by lodging near the marshes at Plimistead, having been workiQg at a gentleman's house in that neighbourhood. In the midst of it also my poor wife was put to bed with her second child ; and, what with care, anxiety, and bad living, was soon laid up on a bed of sickness. We left this wretched place as soon as we conveniently could, but not before we had exhausted all our own little means, and had involved ourselves in debt ; the hopes of its improve- ment having allured us on.
A short time before I had embarked in the business referred to, I was induced to join the First London Co- operative Trading Association ; a society first established in the premises of the Co-operative Society, Eed Lion Square, and subsequently removed to Jerusalem Passage, Clerkenwell. I think it was about the close of the year 1828 that the first of those trading associations was established at Brighton, by a person of the name of Bryan ; and its success was such that between four and five hundred similar associations were very soon established in difierent parts of the country. The members of those societies subscribed a small weekly sum for the raising of a common fund, with which they opened a general store.
WILLIAM LOVJBTT. 41
containing sucli articles of food, clothing, books, &c., as were most in request among working men ; the profits of which were added to the common stock. As their funds increased some of them employed their members ; such as shoemakers, tailors, and other domestic trades: paying them journeymen's wages, and adding the profits to their funds. Many of them were also enabled by these means to raise sufficient capital to commence manufactures on a small scale ; such as broadcloths, silk, linen and worsted goods, shoes, hats, cutlery, furniture, &c. Some few months after I had given up my shop in May's Buildings, I was induced to accept the situation of storekeeper to the ^* First London Association," the late storekeeper, Mr. James Watson, having resigned. In taking this step I made some little sacrifice, as the salary they offered was less than 1 could earn at my trade. But, like many others, I was sanguine that those associations formed the first step towards the social independence of the labouring classes, and I was disposed to exert all my energies to aid in the work. I was induced to believe that the gradual accumu- lation of capital by these means would enable the working classes to form themselves into joint stock associations of labour, by which (with industry, skill, and knowledge) they might ultimately have the trade, manufactures, and commerce of the country in their own hands. But I failed to perceive that the great majority of them lacked the self sacrifices and economy necessary for procuring capital, the discrimination to place the right men in the right position for managing, the plodding industry, skill, and knowledge necessary for successful management, the moral disposition to labour earnestly for the general good, and the brotherly fellowship and confidence in one another for making their association effective.
I had not, however, been in the situation of storekeeper many months before a reduction in my salary took place, the business not answering the expectation of members. My wife was next requested to attend to the store at half the salary I had engaged for. Being thus out of employment myself, and my own trade being exceedingly dull, I em- ployed myself for some months in making a model of an
42 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
industrial village for the late J. Minter Morgan, author of the " Revolt of the Bees/' the " Reproof of Brutus/' &c. A shop of work, however, being offered me before it was in any way finished, the model was never completed.
At this period, too, our troubles were further increased by the death of my second child, my little Kezia, from an accident. My eldest child also became so weakly that we were necessitated to send her into the country, to her grandfather's, for about two years.
In returning, however, to the formation of those societies I must mention that, as our association was the first formed in London, it was looked up to for information and advice from all parts of the country. This, entailing much labour, led to the formation of another society, entitled . " The British Association for Promoting Co-operative Knowledge." As, also, several of those societies had com- menced manufactures on a small scale, they were anxious for some depot, or place in London, where their produc- tions might be deposited for sale to the public, or for exchange with one another. This desire induced the British Association to take a large house in 19, Greville Street, Hatton Garden, the first floor of which was fitted up as a co-operative bazaar, the lower portion being occu- pied by our Fii'st London Association.
The first secretary of the British Association was Mr. George Skene, and, subsequently, on his resignation, I became its honorary secretary. This association kept up the necessary correspondence with the country, held public meetings from time to time, and published several reports of its proceedings. Lady Byron (who took a great interest in these associations), having placed at the disposal of the British Association a small capital — £100 — for helping some of the Spitalfields weavers, who were out of work, to manu- facture some silk handkerchiefs. This, also, was managed by the secretary, Mr. Skene. Those societies, from the esta- blishment of which so much had been expected, were, however, in the course of three or four years mostly all broken up, and with them the British Association. The chief, or, at least, the most prominent causes of their failure were reli- gious differences, the want of legal security, and the dislike
WILLIAM LOVETT. 43
which the women had to confine their dealings to one shop. The question of religion was not productive of much dis- sension until Mr. Owen's return from America, when his " Sunday Morning Lectures "' excited the alarm of the religious portion of their members, and caused great num- bers to secede from them. The want of legal security was also the cause of failure, as they could not obtain the ordi- nary legal redress when their officers, or servants, robbed, or defrauded them, the magistrates refusing to interfere on the groimd of their not being legalized, or enrolled societies. The prejudice of the members' wives against their stores was, no doubt, another cause of failure. Whether it was their love of shopping, or their dislike that their husbands should be made acquainted with the exact extent of their dealings, which were booked against them I know not, but certain it was that they often left the unadulterated and genuine article in search of that which was often questionable. When Mr. Owen first came over from America he looked somewhat coolly on those " Trading Associations," and very candidly declared that their mere buying and selling formed no part of his grand co-operative scheme;" but when he found that great nimi- bers among them were disposed to entertain many of his views, he took them more into favour, and ultimately took an active part among them. And here I think it is neces- sary to state that I entertain the highest respect for Mr. Owen's warm benevolence and generous intentions, how- ever I may differ from many of his views ; and this respect, I think, most people will be disposed to accord to him, who know that he devoted a large fortune and a long life in reiterated efforts to improve the condition of his fellow men. I must confess, also, that I was one of those who, at one time, was favourably impressed with many of Mr. Owen's views, and, more especially, with those of a com^ mitnity of property. This notion has a peculiar attraction for the plodding, toiling, ill-remunerated sons and daugh- ters of labour. The idea of all the powers of machinery, of all the arts and inventions of men, being applied for the benefit of all in common, to the lightening of their toil and the increase of their comforts, is one the most capti-
44 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
vating to those who accept the idea without investigation. The prospect of having spacious halls, gardens, libraries, and museums at their command ; of having light alternate labour in field or factory ; of seeing their children educated, provided and cared for at the public expense; of having no fear or care of poverty themselves ; nor for wife, children, or friends they might leave behind them ; is one the most cheering and consolatory to an enthusiastic mind. I was one who accepted this grand idea of machinery working for the benefit of all, without considering that those powers and inventions have been chiefly called forth, and industri- ously and efficiently applied by the stimulus our industrial system has afforded, and that the benefits to the originators and successful workers of them — though large in some instances — have been few and trifling, compared to the benefits tchich the millions noio enjoy from their general application. Those great results, too, have hitherto been realized by the hope of wealth, fame, or station, keeping up man^s energies to the tension point. But who can fore- see what human beings may become when the individualism in their nature is checked by education, and endeavoured to be crushed out of them by the mandate of a majority — and, it may be, that majority not always a reasonable and enlightened one. What may become of man's inventions when some plodding, persevering schemer (content to starve in his closet in hopes of perfecting a project that may win him fame and benefit his country) is peremptorily called upon to abandon his hopes and yield to the bidding of authority ? What even may become of the best portion of man's nature (of his industrial, skilful, persevering, saving energies), when some aspiring, hopeful individual, resolv- ing to labour and to save while youth and vigour favour him, in hopes of realizing leisure and independence, or to procure some cherished object of his heart, is constrained to abandon his resolution, to conform to the routine of the majority, and to make their aspirations the standard of his own ? Of what advantage the splendour and enjoyment of all art and nature if man has no choice of enjoyment ? And what to him would be spacious halls, and luxurious apart- ments, and all the promised blessings of a community, if
WILLIAM LOVETT. 45
he must rise, work, dress, occupy, and enjoy, not as he himself desires, hut as the fiat of the majority wills it 1 Surely the poorest labourer, bowed down with toil and poverty, would have reason to bless the individualifim that gave him some freedom of choice, and a chance of improv- ing his lot, compared with a fellowship that so bound him in bondage. But we shall be told of the perfect and wise arrangements that are so to perfect human character, that no man " shall ever need to be blamed for his conduct," nor men ever have occasion to make their fellows " responsible for their actions." Unfortunately, the great obstacle to the realization of this perfect state of things is, that the perfect and wise arrangements are to depend on imperfect men and women. And though much is to be expected from an improved system of teaching and train- ing, it is very doubtful, even by these helps, if they will 80 far succeed in perfecting human organizations that no ill balanced ones shall be found among them to mar the general welfare ; to need not the enactment of laws to deter and control them, and the necessity for some tribunal to make them responsible for their conduct. But though mature reflection has caused me to have lost faith in " a Community of Property,'^ I have not lost faith in the great benefits that may yet be realised by a wise and judicious system of Co-operation in the Production of Wealth. The former I believe to be unjust, unnatural, and despotic in its tendency, a sacrificing of the intellectual energies and moral virtues of the few, to the indolence, ignorance and despotism of the many. The latter I believe to be in accordance with wisdom and justice, an arrangement by which small means and united efforts may yet be made the instruments for upraising the multitude in knowledge, prosperity, and freedom.*
I am satisfied, however, that much good resulted from the formation of those co-operative trading associations, notwithstanding their failure. Their being able to pur- chase pure and unadulterated articles of food ; their
♦ Since this was written numerous co-operative associations have been started on the old plan.
46 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
manufacturiiig and exchanging witli one another various articles which they were induced to make up in their leisure hours, or when out of employment ; the mental and moral improyement derived from their various meet- ings and discussions, were among the advantages that resulted from them.
And while speaking of the failure of our co-operative trading associations at that period, I think it may he interesting to some if I give them a hrief account of the failure of the Community of New Harmony as communicated to me by M. D'Arusment, Fanny Wright's husband — on one occasion when he took tea with me. He stated that the chief cause of failure was bad management ; persons being appointed to superintend or manage different depart- ments, of which they had no practical knowledge; and chiefly because they professed to beHeve in Mr. Owen's views. That instead of first seeking to raise the substantial necessaries and comforts of life, on which their success would maiuly depend, the members were more intent on hearing lectures on the New System, or in reading, dancing and amuse- ment. Among the illustrations of bad management, he gave me the followiug. He said that the Rappists, the former proprietors, who had shown themselves to be very successful farmers, had very conveniently divided the land into necessary portions very carefully fenced. These divisions, however, in Mr. Owen's opinion, looked too much like the old world's system, and he ordered the fences to be removed. The consequence of this was that the pigs of the neighbourhood, which were allowed to roam the lanes and forests, had only to get through one fence to be able to rove over a great portion of the estate, and to obtain their choice of the crops, instead of being restric- ted to a small field if they broke in. Persons, he said, were put to manage agricultural operations who had no practical knowledge of them ; and so in like manner in many other departments. Many intelligent members saw this folly, and greatly lamented it ; but the generality of them had such faith in Mr. Owen's knowledge of the system, that nothing was done to check the evil till it was too late. He said, if you spoke to any of those blind
WILLIAM LOVETT. 47
disciples about this bad management, the reply generally was : " Ah ! we see only a link or two in the great chain, whereas Mr. Owen comprehends the whole. The system is his, and he has so much knowledge, and so much experience, that we have best have faith in him, and wait for the result/' One of these men, he said, a warm-hearted enthusiast, to whom he had often spoken about the management, and who had the fullest faith in Mr. Owen, was so stunned and heart-broken when the truth of failure and insolvency was made known to him, that he went into the woods and hung himself. I must state, however, that Mr. D'Arusment told me these matters with regretful feelings, and at the same time avowed his belief, that they would have got on very well if the affair had been so managed as to provide them with food and clothing.
About 1832 Mr. William King put forth a proposal for the establishing of exchange bazaars upon a different and more extended plan than that of Greville Street, and sub- sequently by the co-operation of his friends succeeded in establishing one in Portland E-oad, and another at the Gothic Hall, New Road. By this plan, Exchange or Labour Notes were issued to the depositor of any article in the Bazaar to the extent of its value, which notes were again taken for any article the depositor wanted out of it. This plan was eminently successful for a short period, until in fact the amount of the ornamental, and comparatively useless articles which had accumulated in the bazaar, preponderated greatly over the useful ; then it was that the notes that had been issued began to be depreciated, and useful articles soon ceased to be deposited. Before, how- ever, this cause of failure was discovered, Mr. Owen's friends and supporters were very anxious that he also should form one of those exchange bazaars upon a large scale. To facilitate the project, the proprietor of some very extensive premises in Gray's Inn Road, offered the use of them gratuitously to Mr. Owen for one year, to try the experiment ; which, if successful, they were to be purchased for a stipulated sum. The proposal being accepted the place was opened as " The Institution of the Industrious Glasses.'* A very influential council was also
48 LIFE AND STR JIGGLES OF
appointed to co-operate with Mr. Owen in the management and a sum of money subscribed towards the objects contemplated ; namely, an exchange bazaar, an infant school, and an incipient community. Great assistance being anticipated from the various trading associations, established throughout Ihe country, the use of the premises was offered to them for the holding of their third congress ; they having previously held one at Manchester, and another at Huddersfield. This congress was subsequently held there, and was attended by delegates from between sixty and seventy different societies, among whom I was one. We held two very crowded public meetings, and continued the business of the congress for six consecutive days. We had much talk, but did very little business ; the chief object of interest to many (that of forming an incipient community upon the plan of Mr. Thompson, of Cork) being stoutly opposed and finally marred by our friend Mr. Owen. The Exchange Bazaar was ultimately opened by Mr. Owen and his council, and for a time promised success, until in fact " the labour notes " began to be depreciated. Its failure was also accelerated by bad management; and finally by a rupture between the proprietor of the building and Mr Owen.
And here I must give a couple of anecdotes regarding Mr. Owen, showing how anti-democratic he was notwith- standing the extreme doctrines he advocated. We, having resolved to call the Oo-operative Congress referred to, issued, among other invitations, a circular inviting the attendance of Members of Parliament. Mr. Owen, having seen a copy of the circular drawn up, conceived that it did not sufficiently express his peculiar views. He therefore sent an amendment, which he wished added to it, on to our meeting by Mr. J. 1). Styles. The committee having discussed the amendment, rejected it, and then sent the circular on to Mr. Hetherington's to be printed. When Mr. Owen heard of this, he sent Mr. Bromley, the proprietor of the Exchange Bazaar, to tell Mr. Hethcrington that his amendment must be added. This at first Mr. Hethcrington refused to do, but on Bromley swearing that the Congress should noc meet at his place unless he did
WILLIAM L 0 VETT, 49
add it, he began to think it a very serious affair, as the meeting was to take place in a few days ; we had incurred great expenses, and had no means of taking another place. He therefore told Bromley, that if Mr. Owen sent him a letter authorising him to insert it, and took the blame on himself, he would add the amendment. Judge, therefore, of our great surprise when the circulars were brought to our meeting, embodying the rejected amendment. After Hetherington's explanation, it was resolved that a deputa- tion, consisting of Messrs. Lovett, Flather, and Powell, be appointed to go and expostulate with Mr. Owen. We went, and were shown into Mr. Owen's room at the bazaar, and after briefly introducing our business, he told us to be seated, as he had something very important to read to us. This something was the proof of a publication just started, called the Crisis. After he had read to us a large portion of what he had written in it, I found my patience giving way, and at the next pause I took the opportunity of asking him what that had to do with the business we had come about ? I began by telling him of his having submitted an amendment to our circular, of the committee rejecting it by a large majority, and of his taking upon himself to authorise its insertion in the circular notwithstanding ; and concluded by asking him whether such conduct was not highly despotic ? With the greatest^ composure he answered that it evidently was despotic ; but as we, as well as the committee that sent us, were all ignorant of his plans, and of the objects he had in view, we must consent to be ruled by despots till we had acquired suflB.cient knowledge to govern ourselves. After such vain glorious avowal, what could we say but to report — in the phraseology of one of the deputation — that we had been flabbergasted by him ?
In a previous page I have stated that the proposal to establish an incipient community upon Mr. Thompson's plan, was opposed and marred by Mr. Owen. It was in this curious manner. After the proposal was discussed for some time, for commencing a community upon the small scale proposed by Mr. Thompson, instead of waiting for the grand plan of Mr. Owen, we retired for dinner.
4
50 LIFE AND STEUGGLBS OF
When we came back our friend Owen told us very solemnly, in the course of a long speech, that i f we were resolved to go into a community upon Mr. Thompson's plan, we must make up our minds to dissolve our present marriage con- nections^ and go into it as single men and women. This was like the bursting of a bomb-shell in the midst of us. One after another, who had been ardently anxious for this proposal of a community, began to express doubts, or to flatly declare that tbey could never consent to it ; while others declared that the living in a community need not interfere in any way with the marriage question. One poor fellow, Mr. Petrie, an enthusiast in his way, quite agreed with his brother Owen, and made a speech which many blushed to hear, and contended that it would make no difference, as he and his wife were concerned, for she would follow him anywhere. He then little thought, poor man, that her virtue and his philosophy would so soon be put to the test, and that his mental powers would give way before it, for so it happened soon after. However, nothing could have been better devised than this speech of Mr. Owen to sow the seeds of doubt, and to cause the scheme to be abortive ; and when we retired Mr. Thompson expressed himself very strongly against his conduct. I may add that the reporter of our proceedings, Mr. Wm, Carpenter, thought it wise not to embody this discussion in our printed report.
^t the time that I held the situation of store-keeper at Greville Street, I was (in conjunction with two other persons) served with an exchequer writ, for selling, in ignorance of our "knowledge restricting laws," a small pamphlet on which the duty had not been paid. And as our aristocratic rulers and their tools have often recourse to very round-about ways for entrapping their victims, it may be well to state the way in which we were nearly caught in the meshes of this paltry law ; a law, I believe, devised by old Sidmouth, of knowledge-gagging memory. Among the customers who visited our bazaar and store, was a portly old farmer looking gentleman, who manifested a great anxiety to know every thing relating to our co-operative trading associations. He told us that he
WILLIAM LOVETT, 51
had already heard enough about them to make him desirous of opening a store in Jiis own village for the benefit of his labourers, and others living in the vicinity ; but still he wanted further information respecting their proceedings. As a member of the "British Associ- ation for Promoting Co-operative Knowledge/' I thought it my duty to give so benevolent an individual all the information I could, and as we sold in our store a great variety of books and pamphlets on the subject of co- operation, I showed him our assortment. From among them he selected two or three copies of our quarterly reports and a few other pamphlets, and went away, as we thought, brimful of zeal in the cause. In a few days he called on us again, and informed us that he had been reading our reports and pamphlets, and found from them that some of our members were very great radicals, more especially Ijovett, Fosket, and some others whom he named. When I informed him that I was one of the radicals he referred to, he affected great surprise, and said that he believed I should find it very difficult to defend some of the extreme opinions I entertained before a jury, I told him that I thought radicalism, as well as all prin- ciples based on justice, were very easily defended, the difficulties being on the other side of the questi on ; for when political inequality, hereditary privilege, unjust possessions, and injustice in law and government, had to be defended in the face of justice, honesty, and common sense, there might be some difficulty in substantiating their claims, and more especially if there was an honest jury in the box. Some further discussion took place between us, and on leaving he told us that he should have something further to say to us in a few days. This something appeared in the form of an exchequer writ from Somerset House, which on his information had been for- warded to us. It seemed to set forth some great offence committed against the state, yet noways enlighteniug us regarding the precise nature of that offence, the mystery or enigma being left for offenders to solve as they best could, generally done through the instrumentality of their legal advisers. In our ignorance of the offence we had
52 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
committed, we began to examine the different commo- dities in our store to see if we had been guilty of selling anything without the proper licence ; but we found that for all things requiring it we had the proper document. During our investigation Mr Hetherington chanced to come into our store, and he joined with us in trying to , find out the cause of our offence, and but for him we should probably have remained ignorant ; for in looking over our stock of books, he found out that one of the quarterly reports of the British Association was on a sheet and a quarter of paper, and on which quarter of a sheet the law required a pamphlet duty of one shilling to be paid, which duty the printer in his ignorance or neglect had forgotten. Having found out what we thought to be the cause of the information laid against us, Mr. Hethe- rington and myself walked down to Somerset House to see if we were right in our surmises. The right department in this great taxing machinery having been found, we presented our slip of paper, and requested the person in attendance to inform us what had induced them to send as that document. He referred to a file of papers, and told us that an information had been laid against us for having published a pamphlet without having paid the required duty. We then informed him that the parties named in the writ were not the publishers of the pam- phlet, and that he had consequently sent it to the wrong parties. The fact was it was published for the British Association, a distinct body from the First London Co- operative Association, whose trustees they had sent the writ to, the informer having seen their names over the shop door ; but this information we did not think it neces- sary to give him. He then wanted to know the nature of the First London Society, and the kind of articles we sold. On which Mr. Hetherington began to reckon up the miscellaneous articles we dealt in, rather humorously contrasting bacon with snuff, butter with books, mustard with raisins, &c., which could not but excite the risible faculties of his questioner. This person then very authoritatively declared that we were liable to a heavy penalty for having vended the pamphlet. We then called
WILLIAM L 0 VETT, 5 3
his attention to the fact, that we bought a variety of books and pamphlets from different persons, and that there was nothing printed on them to indicate whether the duty was paid or not ; and, as it was the business of the printer to pay the pamphlet duty, it was evidently a great injustice to visit his offence upon the vendor. He concluded that as the writ had been issued nothing coidd be done in our favour unless we laid our case before the Board, We accordingly drew up a statement for these gentlemen, in which we informed them that as their clerks had made a great mistake in issuing out a writ against us instead of some other persons, we hoped that they would rectify the error, so that we should be subject to no loss. In a few days we received a letter from them, stating that they had considered our petition, and had mitigated the penalties against us to ten pounds ! To this we replied that the board had made a very great mistake in supposing our explanation about their clerks to be " a petition." That not having committed any offence we had not petitioned, and that consequently we should pay no penalties. After this we heard no more of the affair ; but we frequently saw our farmer friend about the Stamp Office and Court of Exchequer, and on enquiry learnt that he was one of their common informers.
54 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
CHAPTER III.
About the same period that I joined the Co-operative Trading Associations I became acquainted with Messrs. Cleave, Hetherington, and Watson, three men with whom I laboured politically and socially for a period of nearly twenty years ; some account of these labours in various ways will be met with as I proceed with my story.* A
* Mr. Henry Hetherington, the great champion of the unstamped press, was a native of London, and born in Compton- street, Soho, in the year 1792. I became acquainted with him some time before he commenced the pn.blication of the "Poor Man's Guardian," an event which gave rise to the unstamped warfare, and which gave birth to the cheap literature we so much enjoy. It was his firm determina- tion and unflinching courage, that no punishment could daunt, that caused that warfare to be successful, though many others helped, and suffered in the fray.
Mr. James Watson, a seller of the unstamped, and publisher of many liberal works, was a native of New Malton, in Yorkshire, and was born on the 21st September, 1799. I first met with him at the Old Co-operative Society Rooms, Red Lion Square. He first came to town to take charge of Richard Carlisle's shop in Fleet Street, when the government prosecution was so hot against him for selling Pain's works. I have taken part in many associations with him, and I know of no politician I could better repose confidence in. Independent of his eff'orts and sacrifices in the cause of the un- stamped, he rendered good service to the cause of progress by the great number of political and other useful works which he printed and published.
Mr. John Cleave, bookseller and publisher, was I think about the same age as Hetherington, but the place of his birth I cannot now recollect. He had been, I think, a sailor in early life, and had much of the sailor in his bearing. He was also rude and bluff" in his manner at times, but he had a warm and generous heart ; always ready to aid the good cause, and to lend a helping hand to the extent of his means. He laboured hard, and made great sacrifices in freeing the press from the stamps that fettered it.
WILLIAM LOVETT. 55
little before this time, however, I was introduced to Mr. Henry Hunt and a number of other radicals, who were then united with him in seeking to eflfect a reform in Parliament. Soon after I became acquainted with him, Mr. Hetherington, myself, and some other friends sought to effect a reconciliation between him and the celebrated Mr. W. Cobbett ; but the feud between them was too strong for us to be successful. Mr. Cobbett denounced the despotism of Mr. Hunt, and Mr. Hunt spoke bitterly of the cowardice of Mr. Cobbett. The memory, however, of those two earnest men I strongly cherish ; for, without seeking to extenuate the failings of either, I regard them as two noble champions of the rights of the millions ; men who by speaking, writing, and suffering, stamped the necessity /or reform so deeply into the heart and mind of England, that no effort of corruption will ever again be able to eradicate it, until all our institutions have been purged and reformed even to the very roots. How few of the politicians of the present day are able to estimate how much of their own views and opinions they owe to Mr. Cobbett's long teaching of the multitude, and how many of the reforms that have been effected in England since the days of Castlereagh and Sidmouth, are justly to be attributed to the public opinion he helped to create. When Henry Hunt, too, first stood forward as the champion of reform, it needed a man of his nerve and moral daring to face the formidable phalanx of corruption everywhere allied against every one who presumed to talk of the rights of man. But he went nobly onward with his work of appealing to the good sense and sound feeling of the people, being deterred not by the sabres of Peterloo, nor by threats, sneers, nor imprisonment, till he finally obtained the verdict of his country against the corruptions he assailed. The Whig Reform Bill was that verdict, a measure, the enactment of which, admitted the corruptions of our representative system, though its provisions went rather to palliate than to effectually remove them; and greatly is it to be regretted that Mr. Hunt, in contending stoutly for an efficient measure of reform, in opposition to the short-comings of that Bill, found himself abused and
56 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
deserted by the great majority of those whom he sought to enfranchise. And from the last conversation I had with this warm-hearted friend of the millions, I am induced to believe that it was this injustice and ingratitude that struck him to the heart. ^ For some years, however, previous to this event, I continued to take part in the reform exertions of Mr. Hunt and his friends, and was among those who assisted in getting up the large public meeting at the Eagle Tavern, City Eoad, in March, 1830, for the formation of " the Metropolitan Political Union." Mr. O'Connell was in the chair on that occasion, and the meeting was, I believe, the first public meeting he ever addressed in London. The chief object of that union was *' to obtain by every just, legal, constitutional, and peace- ful means, an effectual and radical reform in the Commons House of Parliament." I was one of the council of that body, and continued to take an active part in it until what was called " the three glorious days " of the French revo- lution ; but having taken part at a public meeting at the Ptotunda in celebration of that event, in conjunction with Mr. Hetherington, Gale Jones, George Thompson, and others, oui^ proceedings were thought, in the opinion of some members of our council, to savour of sedition. The subject being brought before them on the following even- ing, Mr. Hetherington and myself contended that the spirit of the meeting was such as an oppressed and tax- ridden people should exhibit when they hear of despots
* The following sketch, drawn by an opponent — Blackwood's Magazine — will give some idea of Henry Hunt's treatment in the House of Commons: — ^'A comely, tall, rosy, white-headed mean- looking, well-gartered tradesman of, I take it, 60 ; nothing about liim could detain the eye for a second, if one did not know who he /vas. His only merits are his impudence and his voice, the former certainly first rate, the latter, as far as power goes, unique. In vain do all sides of the house unite, cough, and shuffle, and groan, and Door, door ! and Bar, bar ! to drown him ; in vain Spoke, spoke ! Mr. Speaker ! Order there ! I rise ! Spoke ! Question, question ! Chair, chair ! In vain is it all ; he pauses for a moment, until the unanimous clamour of disgust is at its height, and then, re-pitching hie notes, apparently without an effort, lifts his halloo as clear and distinct above the storm, as ever ye heard a minster bell tolling over the racket of a village wake."
WILLIAM LOVETT. 67
being hurled from their pinnacle of power. This caused our chairman, for the time being,* to declare that he could not continue to be a member with men capable of enter- taining such sentiments ; and we on our part, not approv- ing of such timidity, thought it well to withdraw from among them.
Shortly before this affair I became greatly interested in the temperance question, and did what I could in various ways to promote it. Among other modes I drew up, as early as 1829, a petition for the opening of the British Museum, and other exhibitions of Art and Nature, on Sundays. The petition was signed by many thousand persons, and was presented to Parliament by Mr. Hume. A few extracts from it will convey its spirit and intent : *^ Your petitioners consider that one of the principal causes of drimkenness and dissipation on the Sabbath is the want of recreation and amusement. Sunday being the only leisure day for working men, they are naturally induced on that day to seek that recreation and enjoyment from which they are precluded during the week. So far, however, from there being facilities provided for the rational enjoyment of working men on that day, even their most innocent pleasures (from mistaken feelings of religion) are rigorously . prohibited ; there is no place of public resort in this metropolis (open on Sundays) where amusement and instruction are blended, or where working men could be led to admire and comprehend the wonderful combinations of nature and art. It is therefore not sur- prising that the injunctions delivered from the pulpit are often disregarded, or that labouring men seek relief from religious instruction in the oblivious and demorahzing sociality of the ale-house, which, unfortunately, too often terminates in drunkenness. Your petitioners are further convinced that many of their labouring fellow countrymen who frequent those haunts of vice and dissipation on Sundays, are tempted to spend their leisure hours in this objectionable manner, more from a desire of participating in agreeable pastime than from a love of drink ; thus they
* Mr. George Rogers, a well-intentioned man, notwithstanding.
58 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
imperceptibly contract bad habits, and from merely sipping in the first instance the intoxicating poison, they ulti- mately become actively vicious, and often to fall a prey to pauperism and crime. Your petitioners suggest to your Honourable House that the best remedy for drunkenness at all times, is to divert and inform the mind, and to cir- culate sound knowledge among the people, so that their minds may be profitably engaged, and a public opinion in favour of sobriety may be generated. That attention to those suggestions would do more towards wiping from our national character the stain of drunkenness than pro- hibitory laws or coercive measures. That if useful know- ledge was extensively disseminated among the industrious classes, if they were encouraged to admire the beauties of nature, to cultivate a taste for the arts and sciences, to seek for rational instruction and amusement, it would soon be found that their vicious habits would yield to more rational pursuits ; man would become the friend and lover of his species, his mind would be strengthened and fortified against the allurements of vice ; he would become a better citizen in this world, and be better qualified to enjoy hap- piness in any future state of existence. In other countries in Europe every facility is afibrded on Sundays for the rational recreation of the industrious population. Music, the museums, and public libraries, all display their attrac- tions, and so far from the innocent diversions and gaiety of the people leading to vice and immorality, the mass of the working population of those countries are confessedly more sober and moral than the same class of persons in our own religious country." I may now add that the forty-six years that have elapsed since the foregoing was written, have only tended to strengthen my conviction that no more efiectual means for the removal of drunken- ness could be provided than the opening of our museums, our mechanic and scientific institutions, our libraries, and all our exhibitions of art and nature on Sunday, the onl}' day our working population have to enjoy them, and by giving every facility and encouragement for persons deli- vering scientific, historical, and every description of in- structive lectures to the mass of the people on that day.
JFILLIAM LOVETT. 59
In 1830 I became connected with the "Unstamped Agitation/' one of the most important political movements that I was ever associated with. This unstamped warfare had its commencement in the publication of The Poor Man's Guardian, hj Mr. Henry Hetherington ; although the idea of publishing a substitute for a newspaper, in such a manner as to evade Castlerea gh's Act,first originated with Mr. William Carpenter. This last gentleman, a well- known author and editor who has been connected with most of the political movements of the last twenty years or more, believed that he could evade this infamous Act (the 38th of Geo. 3, &c., passed to put down Mr. Cobbett's L'fTu-penny publications) by issuing weekly what he called his '' Political Letters.'' Before, however, any of these were published Mr. Hetherington brought out a series of Penny daily papers, in a letter form, addressed to different individuals with the view of evading the Act of Parlia- ment, and at the same time to provide cheap political information for the people. After a short time, however, they were published iveekly, each having the title of a ^^ Penny Paper for the People by the Poor Man's Guar- dian " ; and after Mr. Hetherington' s first conviction he changed the title to The Poor Man's Ghiardian, published in defiance of law to try the power of right against might.^ This publication was first edited by Mr. Mayhew, a brother, I believe, of the author of '' London Labour and the Poor," and subsequently by Mr. James Bronterre O'Brien, a writer and politician of some celebrity. It was not started long, however, before the Stamp Office authorities commenced a fierce warfare against it, first against the publisher, and then against the book- sellers who sold it. This having deterred many from selling it, caused some few of us to volunteer the supplying of it to persons at their own houses within any reasonable
* The first of the " Penny Papers for the People" was addressed to the People of England, and dated October 1st, 1830. This was followed by papers of a larger form addressed to the Duke of Wellington ; to the King; the Archbishop of Canterbury, &c. The first number of the " Poor Man's Guardian "was dated December 25th, 1830, and the last December 20th, 1835.
60 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
distance ; and subsequently to organize a general fund for the support of those who were suffering or likely to suffer for striving to disseminate cheap political information amongst the people. This fund was called the " Victim Fund" ; it was kept up by small weekly subscriptions during the many years the contest lasted, and contributed in no small degree to the success of that contest. The Committee of Management consisted for the most part of Messrs Cleave, Watson, Warden, Russell, Petrie, Mansell and Devonshire Saul : Julian Hibbert was our treasurer ; I was the sub-treasurer, and acted also as secretary during the greater part of the time and Mr. Russell the remaining por- tion. We met weekly in an upstair room at the Hope Coffee House, King Street, Smithfield, then kept by Mr. John Cleave, and subsequently at his house in Shoe Lane, Finding that the booksellers refused to sell the Poor Man^s Guardian, and some few other radical publications subsequently started, we advertised for persons to sell them in the streets and from house to house, and met with many volunteers ; some of them from a sincere desire to serve the cause, and others for the mere trifling benefit we held out to them, which was generally a stock of papers to begin with, and a pound in money for every month (or shorter time) they might suffer imprisonment.
When Mr. Hetherington first commenced the publica- tion of the Guardian he was established in Kings- gate Street, Holborn, as a printer, with a fair run of business, which for a time was nearly ruined by the resolute course he pursued. For his name as a radical became so obnoxious to many of his customers that they withdrew their printing from him. One of his most useful apprentices, too, refused to work on such a radical publication, and was sanctioned in his disobedience by the magistrates, who very readily cancelled his indentures. I remember being present on one occasion when one of Mr, Hetherington's customers, in a large way of business, offered to give him as much printing as he could do on his premises, provided he would give up his radical publications ; but this splendid offer (in a pecuniary sense) he very nobly refused ; although, to my know-
WILLIAM LOVETT. 6 1
ledge, his shelves were then filled with thousands of his unsold and returned publications, and all his relations and connections were loudly condemning him for his folly. Mr. Hetherington, however, was not the kind of character to yield under such circumstances. The first time he appeared at Bow Street to answer to the charge of printing and publishing the Guardian and Republican, he honestly told the magistrates that he was determined to resist the efforts of a corrupt government to suppress the voice of the people. His conviction having been confirmed at the next session, he in the interim set off for a tour throuirh the country, and was greatly instrumental in calling up the spirit of the people in opposition to the persecution the Whigs were then waging against the press. Finding also that many of the old established booksellers were fearful of selling his publications, he and his friends succeeded in inducing many other persons to commence the sale of them.* Many of those were prosecuted and imprisoned ; but such proceedings only served to enlist public sympathy in their favour, and to increase their business; many of whom are now the largest booksellers for cheap literature in the kingdom. In this tour the police pursued Mr. Hetherington in all directions, but by the help of friends he succeeded in eluding their vigilance until his return to town. This he was induced to do in hopes of seeing the last of his dpng m.other ; but the police (who were on the watch) captured him at his own door, and inhumanly refused him his request of taking a last farewell of his fond parent, or of even letting his wife know of his being taken off to prison. But the details of injustice and cruelty on the part of the authorities, and of the self- sacrifices and patriotic devotedness on the part of many individuals engaged in this unstamped warfare would take a larger space than I can devote to it. Suffice it to say that the contest lasted upwards of ^yq years ; during which time upwards of five hundred persons in different parts of the kingdom suffered imprisonment for the publi-
* Among others Mr. Abel Heywood, since then a Mayor of Man- cl J ester.
62 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
cation, or sale, of the Poor Man's Guardian, the Political Letters, the Republican, the Police Gazette, and other radical publications. Among those persons, Mr. Wm. Carpenter was imprisoned six months in Eing's Bench Prison ; Mr. Henry Hetherington was imprisoned three times : twice in Clerkenwell Prison, for six months each time, and in King's Bench for twelve months. Mr. James Watson was imprisoned twice in Clerkenwell Prison, for six months each time ; Mr. John Cleave, for two months in Tothill Fields Prison ; and in the City Prison till a fine inflicted on him was paid ; together with the seizure of his printing press and printing materials. Mr. Abel Heywood, of Manchester, was imprisoned three months ; Mrs. Mann, of Leeds, three months, and several others. None of the victims being allowed trial by jury, but merely condemned in a summary manner by the magis- trates ; the police being mostly the witnesses, and Mr. Timms, from the Stamp Office, the prosecutor. And what adds to the monstrous injustice of this government- persecution is the fact that, after so many hundred persons had been fined and imprisoned for selling the Poor Man's Guardian, it was finally declared before Lord Lyndhurst and a special jury, to be a strictly legal publication. This warfare, however, eventually created a public opinion sufficiently powerful to cause the government to give up the fourp^enuy stamp upon newspapers, and to substitute a penny stamp instead."^ But this triumphant change was by no means so important as the amount of good that otherwise resulted from the contest. For the unstamped publications may be said to have originated the cheap literature of the present day — for few publications existed before they commenced — and the beneficial effects of this cheap literature on the minds and morals of our popula- tion are beyond all calculation. For many of the cheap
* This penny stamp necessitated another agitation to be got up, several years after, to get rid of it. In this agitation Mr. Richard Moore, Mr. Cobden, Mr. Villiers, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Bainbridge, and others took the leading part ; Mr. Dobson Collett acted as their Secretary. To the same body of gentlemen we also owe the repeal of the Duty on Paper.
WILLIAM LO VETT. 63
literary and scientific publications that were published during that period were started -with the avowed object of " diverting the minds of the working classes away from politics," and of giving them " more useful knowledge." In fact a new class of literature sprang up for the tirst time in England avowedly for the millions, and has gone on increasing and extending its benehcial influence from that period to the present. To this cheap literature, and the subsequent cheap newspapers that resulteij from our warfare, may be also traced the great extension of the coffee rooms and reading rooms of our large towns, and the mental and moral improvement resulting from their establishment. And although the radical publications first started were, in many instances, tainted with violence and bitterness, yet some allowance must be made for this, when we consider the rabid persecution waged against those who first strove to unshackle the press, and to bring political knowledge within the reach of the industrious classes. 'I he Stamp Office authorities were rampant in their enmity against the publishers of all cheap political publications. It must not be supposed, however, that the zeal of those gentlemen arose from any patriotic desire to save or add to the revenue, as the following fact tends to prove. FojT it happened at that time that great com- plaints were made that stamps of various kinds were missing from the stamping department. To guard against such delinquents a gentleman, of the name of R-iley, invented a very ingenious stamping machine, which not only stamped rapidly, but registered the stamps made ; so that the superintendent had only to set and lock up the machine belore the stamping began, and to require from each workman, after the day's work was over, the number of stamps registered. This ingenious invention was highly approved of by a number of scientific men. Dr. Birkbeck and others. Lord Althorp, I think, was Prime Minister at that time and he was so pleased with the invention that he recommended it to the notice of the Commissioners of Stamps. Mr. Riley took his machine to these gentlemen and explained all about it. They seemed not to relish it, however, for they told him that
64 LIFE AND STU UGGLES OF
should they need such a machine they tvould communicate with him. In fact they did not seem to want a machine that would guard the revenue too effectually. Mr. Riley, after waiting and sickening over hope deferred, eventually took himself and his machine to America, where similar official conduct has driven a great number of ingenious inventors. The police too, at this period, were encouraged to hound out the vendors of the un- stamped by the reward of a sovereign for every person they could succeed in convicting.* Many persons were also induced, by the offer of places in the police, to volun- teer the sale of those publications, so as to be the better able to trace out and betray the poor fellows who were endeavouring to earn their bread by selling them. As for poor Hetherington, he was hunted from place to place by the police like a wild beast, and was obliged to have resomxe to all kinds of manoeuvres in order to see or correspond with his family. I paid him a secret visit on one occasion at the village of Pinner, some little distance from London, where he Hved in a retired cottage for upwards of a year under the assumed name of Mr. Williams ; the police in the meantime hunting for him in different parts of the kingdom. And here, too, I think it but justice to the memory of John Cleave to declare that, independent of his fines and imprisonment, he made great sacrifices, both in his business and otherwise, during the many years of this conlest. For long before he commenced the publishing of his Police Gazette — which was very success- ful for a time — he was indefatigable in going about in all directions advocating the cause of an unshackled press, and in promoting the sale of the unstamped. Owing also to our Victim Committee meeting at his coffee house, and the victims coming there to be paid (many of them poor, ragged and dirty), the best portion of his customers were led to desert him ; and few were the radicals who souo:ht to
* A person of the rame of Thomas Colley, employed by the Sohcitor of the Stamp Office, admitted that he had been the means of convicting seventy persons for seUii g unstamped publications ; and that he had received a pound for each at the btamp Office. — Morning Chronicle.
WILLIAM LO VETT^ 65
supply their place. John Cleave (though, like most of us, not without his faults) was also warmhearted and benevolent ; and that without much means at his disposal. I have known him, and his kind-hearted wife, to preserve from perishing many of the poor starving boys that were often to be found about the pens of Smithfield ; by taking them into his kitchen when cold, hungry, and filthy ; by feeding and cleansing them ; while he has gone round among his friends to beg some old clothes to cover them. And these poor boys he has generously fed, and otherwise taken care of, till he had finally got them berths at sea, or otherwise provided for them the means of earning their living.
About the period of Mr. Hethering ton's first conviction in 1831, I had my little stock of household furniture taken away from me by the Government because I refused to serve in the Militia, or to pay a sum of money as a substi- tute. At the drawing for the Militia, previous to this legalized robbery of myself, I was forcibly struck with the great injustice of these constantly recurring draivings for the Militia, by which a great number of poor men were periodically fleeced of their money, or frightened away from one town to another ; and that too in a time of profound peace. An acquaintance of mine, newly married, a Mr. Hilson, who had just commenced business for himself, had the misfortime to be drawn for the Militia. Foreseeing that his business would be ruined if he personally served, he sought about, and engaged a yoang man in the neigh- bourhood to become his substitute, and with him went to the authorities. His substitute was a fine healthy fellow, better fitted in every respect for a soldier than my short fat friend, but the personages before whom he appeared laughed and scoffed at him for the trouble he had taken. They insolently told him that they wanted not his substi- tute but his money, and then they could choose for them- selves. Now, although I had previously seen many of my shopmates placed in a similar manner, I had never been 80 forcibly struck with the injustice of the system as I was in this instance ; probably because my radical convictions had not become sufficiently matured When, therefore, I
5
66 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
heard of the next schedules for the Militia being distri- buted (in January, 1831), I sent a note to " Carpenter's Political Letters " suggesting that the filling up of the Militia papers afforded a good opportunity for the people to record their protest against the system ; oi the same time pointing out a mode in which they might fill up their papers. A number of persons filled up their schedules according to the plan suggested. It was called at the time "the no- vote no-musket plan." However, whether fairly or unfairly, I was drawn ; and summoned at the Coliseum Coffee House, New Road, before the Deputy Lieutenant of the County and other authorities to show what grounds of exemption I had to make against serving in the Militia. I told them that I objected " on the grounds of not being represented in Parliament, and of not having any voice or vote in the election of those per- sons who made those laws that compelled me to take up arms to protect the rights and property of others, while my 01V71 rights, and the only property I had, my labour, were not protected." Those grounds of exemption, as might be supposed, did not suit the authorities, one of whom, a magistrate of the name of Chambers, was very much incensed against me. In a short time, after my refusal to serve, a party of constables accompanied by a broker of the name of Bradshaw, were sent to seize my goods. Their warrant authorized them to seize to the extent of fifteen pounds, but they took goods away that cost me upwards of thirty, although most of them were made by myself. I need scarcely say that we highly valued them on that account ; but my dear wife proved herself a heroine on that occasion, and suffered them to be carried off without a murmur. She had been offered the means of saving them a day or two previously, but she very nobly resisted the temptation. I was at that time building a large wooden house for an acquaintance of mine ; and he being very anxious for my completion of it (for we knew not whether they would seize my goods or send me to prison) offered her money to go privately to the authorities and pay for a substitute, without letting me know anything about it; but, as I have said, she very
WILLIAM LOVETT. 67
properly refused. So much, so was the public feeling ex- cited against this robbery in support of the Militia laws, that several brokers refused to sell the goods after they were seized, and the authorities, after keeping them some time, got them sold at last at Foster's Sale Rooms as goods seized for taxes, without giving me any previous notice of the sale, or rendering me any account of what they sold for. I drew up a petition to the House of Commons on the subject, which was presented by Mr. Hunt, and very ably supported by Mr. Hume. Suffice it to say the pubUc excitement on the subject, the belief that many would follow my example in future, and the able manner in which the balloting system was exposed in the House, had a very beneficial effect, as no drawing for the Militia has taken place from that time to the present.
68 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
CHAPTER IV.
In 1831 I joined a new Association, composed chiefly of working men, entitled " The National Union of the Working Classes and Others," its chief objects being " the Prot-ection of Working Men ; the Free Disposal of the Produce of Labour ; an Effectual Reform of the Commons' House of Parliament ; the Repeal of all Bad Laws ; the Enactment of a Wise and Comprehensive Code of Laws ; and to collect and organize a peaceful expression of public opinion." This Association was organized somewhat on the plan of the Methodist Connexion. Class-leaders were appointed at pubKc meetings of the members in the pro- portion of one for about every thirty or forty members ; the Class-leaders mostly meeting with their classes weekly at their own houses. At those meetings political subjects were discussed, and articles from the newspapers and por- tions of standard political works read and commented on. Branches of the Union were established in various parts of the Metropolis. PubHc meetings were held weekly in various districts, and speakers appointed to attend them. A great number of similar Associations were also organized in different parts of the country. Those associations were greatly efficient in aiding our agitation in favour of a Cheap and Unrestricted Press ; in extending public opinion in favour of the Suffrage of the Millions ; and in calling forth the condemnation of the people against various un- just and tyrannical acts of the authorities of the day ; and could the violence and folly of the hot-brained few have been restrained a far larger amount of good might have been effected. But, as in almost all associations that I have ever been connected with, our best efforts were more frequently directed to the prevention of evil by persons of
WILLIAM L 0 VETT 69
this description, than in devising every means, and in seeking every opportunity for the carrying out of our objects. In this Union we had no trifling number of such characters ; and night after night was frequently devoted to prevent them, if possible, from running their own unre- flecting heads into danger, and others jSong with them. Among the first projects of these men that we had to con- tend against was the caUing together "a Secret Convention " of delegates from the working class Unions of the kingdom on the subject of reform. Now Cleave, Watson, Hetherington, and myself, as well as a number of others who acted with us, were always opposed to secret proceed- ings. We were for always showing an open and determined front to the enemy, knowing that boldness and honesty in a good cause mostly carry with them pubHc sympathy and support ; while the attempts to shun danger by secret plot- ting, and sneaking contrivances, disgust the public, call forth the suspicion of friends, and place weapons in the hands of the enemy to seal your fate and secure his triumph. By appealing therefore to the warm-hearted and right-minded portion of our members, we generally man- aged to frustrate those secret schemes, and in this instance prevented our Association from joining, though not without a large share of abuse from those who were secretly cor- responding with others in the country respecting it. But to show the kind of persons we refrained from joining in this secret convention I may mention that Mr. Hetherington being in the country about twelve months after this aflair, learnt the following particulars regarding them. That, owing to the unwillingness of many associations to take part in it, but few delegates assembled at the place and time agreed on. Those few, however, having been tolerably well supplied with money, resolved on taking a trip over to Ireland^ provided with a lass a- piece. There they stopped till the Whig Reform Bill was published, when they cooked up out of it a report or bill on the subject of reform, which they presented to their constituents as the result of their labours at the "secret convention."
Soon after I became a member of this union I was deputed, with another person, to address a public meetin
cr O
70 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
at Spitalfields. At the conclusion of the meeting a person got up and asked me my advice under the following circumstances. He said that a friend of his (an honest sober man) had been out of work for a long time, and being exhausted from the want of food, had a few days ago dropped down in a fainting fit; in which state he was taken to the workhouse, and his wife and family compelled to follow him. That the workhouse being over-crammed (fifteen hundred persons being in it) eight and ten persons were often placed, head to feet, in one bed ; and, from the putrid and noxious atmosphere, they were dying off* like rotten sheep. That his poor friend had been separated from his wife, and the children from their mother ; and that two of the children were then dying from the fever they had caught there. That his friend had been placed in a bed with a fever patient, from which bed a person had but just been taken out dead of the fever, without even the bed-linen being changed. The result was that his poor friend was in a state bordering on madness. He also added that at that very time three lying-in women, with their infants, might be seen in one bed. This appeared to me suoh a horrible story that I deemed it necessary to write it down in the presence of the person, and of many friends who knew him, and got him to append his signature to it; my object being to give it publicity through the press. It so happened, however, that there was one of the police present dressed in plain clothes, whose report to his inspector caused that gentleman to inform the master of the workhouse of our proceedings, telling him that if any pubKcity was made by us, a mere denial of the truth of it from him would be sufficient againsl} a few ignorant radicals. The next morning, how- ever, the master of the workhouse deemed it necessary to send for the person who had given me the information, and by threats and cajoling induced him to come to us with a note (which he had prepared) modifying some and denying other portions of the statement he had made the previous evening. But it so happened that in his flurry he gave him the note which the inspector had sent to him instead of the one he had prepared ; and thus were we
WILLIAM LOVETT, 71
made acquainted with the whole affair. At that period Mr. Wakley (the proprietor of the Lancet) was the editoi of the Ballot newspaper, and generally took a warm interest in all matters of reform. On making him acquainted with the above story, he requested Mr. Cleave and myself to go^ with him to investigate to some extent the state of things then existing in Spitalfields. We accordingly went, and we found not only that the horrible state of the work- house was true as described, but that the state of vast numbers out of it was even worse, for hunger and naked- ness in many cases were added to the disease and wretched- ness that prevailed. In whole streets that we visited we found nothing worthy of the name of bed, bedding, or furniture ; a little straw, a few shavings, a few rags in a corner formed their beds — a broken chair, stool, or old butter-barrel their seats — and a saucepan or cup or two, their only cooking and drinking utensils. Their unpaved yards, and filthy courts, and the want of drainage and cleansing, rendered their houses hotbeds of disease; so that fever combined with hunger was committing great ravages among them. In the first house we visited we met a little girl on the stairs screaming for help, saying that her father was killing himself, "We hurried up and found that the poor fellow was trying to destroy himself by running a fork into his throat, and we were fortunately in time to prevent anything serious from being effected. He seemed to have been reduced to a miserable state of despondency from the want of food; and we finding that his state of health required medical assistance sent for the parish doctor. When he came he was disposed to be rather insolent towards " the radicals '' until he discovered that one of them was Mr. Wakley, the editor of the Lancet^ and the exposer of much professional incapacity, when he became exceedingly civil, and attended to the poor patient's wants very promptly. I may add that our visit to Spital- fields and the stir we made there were the means of great alterations being made in the workhouse ; more room being provided, and the poor inmates better attended to.
The members of our association, having on various occasions maintained the right of the toiling millions to
i^ LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
some share in the Govermnent of the country they were enriching by their labours called forth, both from the Whig and Tory press, the bitterest feelings of hostility against them. They were denounced as '^ destructives, revolutionists, pickpockets^ and incendiaries; meditating an attack upon every possessor of property, and the up- rooting of all law and order." Gibbon Wakefield and his brother also contributed in no small degree to incense the public against them by the publication of a pamphlet entitled '' Householders in danger from the Populace ;" in* which the Rotunda Radicals and the London thieves were classed together as especial objects of dread to all house- holders. I cannot help thinking, however, but that my refusal to join Mr. Wakefield and Mr. Gougher in their New Zealand scheme of emigration, and my public opposi- tion to it at Exeter ilall, as a plan calculated to place the labourers of our colonies at the mercy of a few capitalists, were the chief inducements that led to the publication of this very exciting pamphlet. Mr. Wakefield, knowing how anxious many of the co-operators were at that time for establishing communities, was very pressing on me to join him, as, from my office of secretary, I was in corre- spondence with a great number of them in different parts of the country. We were not, however, deterred by threats or abuse from the advocacy of what we believed to be right and just'; and when the Whig project of the Reform Bill was put forth we were among the first out of doors who proclaimed its short-comings. Among other means for making known our opinions on this subject, as well as for ascertaining the opinions of others, we put forth the following declaration of our principles ; it was drawn up by Mr. Watson and myself.
Declaration of the National Union of the
Working Classes.
" Labour is the Source of Wealth.^'
" That Commonwealth is best ordered when the citizens are neither
too rich nor too poor.^' — Thales.
"At this moment of great public excitement, it is alike
WILLIAM L 0 VETT, 73
the interest of as well as the duty of every working man to declare publicly his political sentiments, in order that the country and Government may be generally acquainted with the wants and grievances of this particular class — in accordance with which we, the working classes of London, declare : —
" 1. — All property (honestly acquired) to be sacred and
inviolable. "2. — That all men are bom equally free, and have
certain natural and inalienable risrhts. " 3. — That all governments ought to be founded on those rights; and all laws instituted for the common bene- fit in the protection and secuiity of all the people : and not for the particular emolument or advan- tage of any single man, family, or set of men/' ** 4. — That all hereditary distinctions of birth are un- natural, and opposed to the equal rights of man ; and therefore ought to be abolished." ^^ 5. — That every man of the age of twenty-one years, of sound mind, and not tainted by crime, has a right, either by himself or his representative, to a free voice in determining the nature of the laws, the necessity for public contributions, the appropriation of them, their amount, mode of assessment, and duration. ^^ 6. — That in order to secure the unbiassed choice of proper persons for representatives, the mode of voting should be hy ballot, that intellectual fit- ness and moral worth, and not properly, should be the qualification for representatives, and that the duration of Parliament should be but for one year, " 7. — We declare these principles to be essential to our protection as working men— and the only sure guarantees for the securing to us the proceeds of our labour — and that we will never be satisfied with the enactment of any law or laws which do not recognise the rights we have enumerated in this declaration. •^ In order to ascertain the opinion of the working classes
74 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
througliout the kingdom, as well as of all those trho think with them, we hereby call a Public Meeting of the useful Classes of London to be held on the space in front of "White Conduit House, on Monday, November 7th, 1831, at one o'clock precisely, for the purpose of solemnly rati- fying this declaration. And we therefore particularly press upon our fellow labourers, in all parts of the country, to re-echo these principles on the same day in public meet- ings throughout the country."
Mr. Thomas Wakley, afterwards M.P. for Finsbury, having agreed to take the chair on that occasion, the decla- ration was printed and largely distributed. I may add that the following resolution was agreed to at the same time as our declaration : — " That as our object is just, we wish our proceedings to be peaceably conducted, and therefore, earnestly impress on every working man to conduct him- self with order and propriety, and to consider himself a special constable for that day, for the purpose of enforcing peace from others if necessary." This resolution was called forth by the ferocious conduct the new police had exhibited on various occasions, a few days previously they having made an unprovoked attack upon Mr. Savage, and a number of radicals from Marylebone, on their way to the Home OflB.ce to present a petition to the King.
In the interim, previous to our public meeting, an announcement was made for the formation of the '* Na- tional Political Union.'' The committee of our associa- tion having been informed that this new union was not disposed to go for any measure of 7'eform beyond the Whig Reff rm Bill, and that its chief object was to support the Whigs in the carrying of that measure at all risks, deemed it neceasary to attend the public meeting called, with the view of proposing an amendment in favour of universal suffrage. But Mr. Cleave and myself had no sooner en- tered into the Crown and Anchor (the intended place of meeting) than we were requested to go into the Com- mittee-room, as they wanted some conversation with us. When we presented ourselves, the chairman, Mr. Place, stated that they had been informed of our intention to
WILLIAM L 0 VETT, 75
oppose them, and wished to know what the nature of our opposition would be. We said that that would depend on the resolutions they submitted to the meeting. These being shown to us, I made some remarks on their exclu- sive character, and informed them that as they were about to appeal for the support of the working classes, I should deem it my duty to move an amendment for ex- tending the suffrage to persons of that class. Mr. Eoebuck and some others who were present, were very anxious for the committee to make that a part of their resolutions, but in this desire they were in the minority. I may now add that well would it be for the middle and working classes of the present day if this just and reasonable pro- position of Mr. Eoebuck had been adopted — much of the strife, persecution, and sacrifice, that both have since suf- fered, might have been avoided, and our country be progressing in peace, prosperity, and happiness, instead of being plunged into ruinous expenses, and disgraceful sacrifices, by aristocratical insolence, ignorance, and official inaptitude.
The room at the tavern not being large enough for the numbers that attended, they adjourned the meeting to Lincoln's Inn Fields. Sir Francis Burdett was the chair- man appointed. The Committee and their friends, knowing of our intention to propose an amendment, so arranged themselves that they drowned by their noise and clamour every effort that Mr. Cleave and myself made in proposing our amendment to the meeting. Mr. Wakley, how- ever, was a little more successful, for, after various efforts to make the chairman put his amendment, it was carried that one half of the council should be working men, which was said to be the cause of Sir Francis retiring from the imion in disgust : so much for his patriotism at that time.
Our proceedings in this affair, joined to the former prejudices against us, caused a Proclamation to be issued against our intended meeting. Special con- stables were sworn in — the soldiery were marched in great numbers into Islington — and orders were issued to the police to seize on every member of our committee that made his appearance at the meeting. The
76 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
Press, also, were not behind in their denunciations of us. They declared that we wanted to re-enact the Bristol riots, and that we had great numbers of pikes and arms of various kinds preparing in Whitechapel and Spitalfields. These false statements caused us to appoint a deputation to wait upon Lord Melbourne, to explain to him our con- duct and intention as regarded the meeting. On being introduced to his lordship, he asked whether the parties were present who signed the printed declaration, which the Government considered highly seditious if not treason- able ? Mr. Watson, and Osborn the secretary, replied that we were the parties. We were then requested to call again at three o'clock, it being then about twelve. When introduced the second time we found the minister accom- panied with his brother, Mr. Lamb, and the chairs so arranged as if to form a barrier between them and us. A posse of the new police were also posted in the next room ; for happening to slightly move the chair before me in speaking, the side door suddenly pushed open, enabling us to see a number of them arrayed truncheons in hand. I suppose they thought that prime ministers could not be safely trusted with men who had declared that all heredi- tary distinctions ought to be abolished. We informed his lordship that we wished to undeceive him as regarded our intentions in calling the public meeting which the Press had so wilfully misrepresented ; that so far from entertaining any idea of disturbing the public peace we were readily disposed to aid the authorities in preserving it, having offered to be sworn in as special constables. That we had been charged with a desire to imitate the Bristol proceed- ings, while the fact was that our declaration was posted on the walls of London before that unfortunate affair was known or even thought of. That as regards the principles set forth in that document (which his lordship said was seditious and treasonable) we had read them in the works of many eminent men, and were not aware that the simple fact of putting them in the form of a declaration would subject us to so serious a charge. That they were, how- ever , our opinions, and we saw no impropriety in ascertaiuing how far our fellow workmen agreed with us.
WILLIAM L 0 VETT. t 7
Mr. Watson then asked his lordship some questions as regards the intention of the Government, when he read to us the circular issued to the Magistrates, to the effect of the illegality of the meeting, and warning people against it. I replied to him that I thought it a great injustice that the middle classes should be allowed to have their unions and open-air meetings, while the working classes should be prevented from holding their meetings. The minister, however, persisted that our meeting was highly- illegal, and that any person attending it would be ia the act of committing high treason. Mr. Cleave wished to address him further, but his lordship, it would seem, not wishing to hear more, bade us good morning. At our committee meeting in the evening a very warm debate took place regarding the propriety of holding or postponing our public meeting. One portion of the committee were for holding it at all risks, but the majority, believing that the Grovernment were determined by all the force at their disposal to prevent the meeting from taking place, thought it prejudicial to the cause to provoke the sacrifice that would necessarily ensue. Reason and prudence, however, at last prevailed, and an unanimous vote was ultimately agreed to for the postponement of the meeting. I may here state that while the working classes were thus pre- vented from giving expression to their opinions, the middle classes were devisiag all kinds of schemes, treasonable and seditious, for the carrying of the Reform Bill — the Whig Press was teeming with daily attacks against our aristo- cracy for doing all they could to frustrate the measure, and at the same time threatening them with a force of a hundred and fifty thousand armed men who were ready to come up from the country to support the Whigs in carry- ing it.
Shortly after this affair Mr. Cleave and myself had ageiin to trouble Lord Melbourne on behalf of a number of working men at Manchester, who had been committed for trial at the Lancaster Assizes on a charge of unlawfully assembling on a Sunday evening. His lordship having accepted and replied to an address to the King, emanating from a meeting of the same parties on the previous
78 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
Sunday, praying that the lives of the Bristol and Notting- ham rioters might be spared, it was deemed desirable that he should be summoned on the trial. He being a Cabinet Minister, this could only be done through the Crown Office, and our Union being applied to on the subject by the Eadicals of Manchester, Mr. Cleave and myself were deputed to endeavour to subpoena his lordship. We accordingly made the application for the summons at the Crown Office, but it was not until a messenger had been sent off to the Home Office to apprise Lord Melbourne of our intention that we obtained it. When, therefore, we got there, Mr. Phillips, the under-secretary, refused us admission to his lordship. This afforded us an opportunity of reminding him of the bad example this was setting to the people, in not readily complying with the require- ments of law and justice; and of the great want of humanity on the part of his lordship in not readily coming forward to tender his evidence when the lives and liberty of a number of poor working men were thus threatened. The result of this alter- cation with the under-secretary was, that he allowed us to leave the summons, promising to deliver it to the minister. "When, however, the trial came on. Lord Melbourne sent a letter to the judge, admitting his having received and replied to the address the parties had sent, but requesting to be excused from personally attending on account of his official duties. Four of the poor Radicals were, however, found guilty, and sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment to Lancaster gaol for assemblmg on a Sunday evening.
In March, 1832, the Government, at the instigation of the would-be saintly Percival, ordained a general fast to be observed throughout the kingdom, for beseeching God to remove the cholera from among us. Now, most of the members of our union had seen enough in Spitalfields and other districts at that period to convince us that the ravages made by that dreadful disease were chiefly to be attributed to the want and wretchedness that prevailed there ; and therefore thought that Parliament would have shown more Christian feeling if they had called upon Percival and his bigoted coadjutors to give up a portion
WILLIAM LOVETT. 79
of their annual fleecings of the public to enable a portion of those poor wretches to feast, instead of hypocritically acceding to ^fast. We believed also that the causes that matured and extended that disease were greatly within the power of Goyernment to remove ; and; therefore, saw in this proposed fast an attempt on the part of rulers to father their own iniquitous neglect upon the Almighty * We saw also that the bigots who originated and pro- moted the solemn mockery, were first and foremost among those whose injustice, oppression, and gross neglect had occasioned so much ignorance, poverty, and misery in the country, and consequently their concomitants of filth and disease. We resolved, therefore, from the first, that we would not comply with this piece of hypocrisy, but that we would enter into a subscription to provide the members of our union with a good dinner on that day ; those who could afibrd it to provide for those who could not. This we conceived would be a better religious observance of the day than if we had selfishly feasted (as we knew many would) on salt fish with e^^ sauce, and other delicacies. As we were prevented by law from working on that day, we fiirst thought of holding public meetings in different parts of London ; but having consulted a barrister on the subject — now a celebrated magistrate — and finding that we should subject ourselves to the mercies of the ecclesi- astical court, we resolved on taking a peaceable and orderly walk before dinner. We understood from our legal adviser that there was no law to prevent us from forming a peaceable procession through the streets at any time, provided we had no flags, nor banners, nor weapons of defence. On the morning of the fast day we accordingly assembled in Finsbury Square ; the Morning Chronicle esti- mating the numbers of our union to be upwards of twenty thousand, and at least a hundred thousand persons in connec- tion with the object of the procession. We there formed
* Some idea may be formed of the causes that contributed to the cholera and other diseases of that period, when I state on the authority of the medical officers of the Holbom Union, in their report, that the London cesspools, if united, would form a chan- nel ten miles long, fifty feet wide, and six feet deep ; and that they supplied to the River Thames daily 7,000 loads of poisonous filth that might have been converted into the most valuable manure.
80 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
ourselves in order four abreast, Hetherington, Watson and myself being at the head of the procession ; our object being merely to take a walk through the Strand, Piccadilly and Hyde Park, and to return to our respective classes to dine, by way of Oxford Street and Holborn. But this route we were not allowed to take, for after we had walked peacefully and uninterruptedly through the City our pro- gress through the Strand was obstructed by the new police drawn across Temple Bar armed with staves and drawn cutlasses, said by the newspaper to be " admirably adapted for fighting in a crowd." We, however, having no inten- tion to fight (not having a walking-stick among us) turned up Chancery Lane into Holborn. Here again was another body of the police drawn across to prevent us from going up Holborn, and as we wheeled in front of them to go down towards Gray's-Inn Lane we fully expected to feel the weight of tlieir truncheons. Thus we went on, opposed at difierent points in our progress, towards Hetherington' s ; Castle Street ; and other places of meeting ; till in Totten- ham Court Road the police, coming down Howland Street, threw themselves across our procession. Benbow and a few others here lost all patience, and forced their way through the ranks of the police, which caused them to exercise their staves rather freely. Fearing further dis- turbance if we went on with the procession we drew up in the North Crescent, and there we having addressed a few words to the people on the object of the procession, they, by our advice, broke up, and retired to their respec- tive classes to dine. It will be seen by this slight sketch that the police did all they could on that day to provoke a disturbance ; they came out fully prepared, with staves and cutlasses, to have their revenge on us, and they could not forbear from openly expressing their disappointment. In the course of a few days Benbow was apprehended for taking part in this procession, and shortly after Mr. Watson and myself. My arrest took place outside the office door in Marlborough Street, having gone there to hear the case of some young men who had been taken up for practising the broad sword exercise with wooden swords. Bail for me was at once tendered, but the magis-
WILLIAM LOVETT. 81
trate required time, he said, to make enquiries. I was accordingly locked up in a dark cell, about nine feet square, the only air admitted into it being through a small grating over the door, and in one corner of it was a pailful of hlth left by the last occupants, the smell of which was almost overpowering. There was a bench fixed againet the wall on which to sit down, but the walls were literally covered with water, and the place so damp and cold, even at that season of the year, that I was obliged to keep walking round and round, like a horse in an apple-mill, to keep anything like life within me. As it was, I caught a severe cold and hoarseness, from which I did not recover for some weeks. I had taken no food since my breakfast, and that which was brought me by my friends was refused to be admitted, so that I had none till about eight o'clock at night, when my friend Julian Hibbert put me a few crumbs of biscuit through the wire grating over the door. It being near the sessions we succeeded in traversing our case till the next, which took place at Clerkenwell Sessions House on the 16th of May, 1832. The indictment charged us with being "disaflfected and ill-disposed per- sons, who with force and arms had made a great riot, tumult, and disturbance on the day stated, and with having for the space of five hours caused great terror anJ alarm to all the liege subjects of the King." And to show the animus of the authorities towards us, they mixed up in our indictment the case of two lads (strangers to us) said to have been detected committing some disturbance in Finsbury Square on the evening of the fast-day, while we were meeting in our classes, which the Chairman himself admitted had no reference to our case. The evidence against us was given for the most part by the police who provoked the disturbance. The three of us defended our- selves as we best could, though not without frequent interruptions from the Chairman (a Mr. Eotch, or Roach), ours being his first case after his election as chair in an of the sessions. A number of witnesses voluntarily carr.o for- ward to depose to our peaceful and orderly conduct during the day, among others Mr. Richard Taylor, one of the Common Council of the City of London. One of the
6
82 LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
witnesses testified to his having heard one of the directors of the police say to his men, in Tottenham Court Road, " Out with your truncheons, and fall on them and show them no quarter.'* Suffice to say we foimd an honest jury and were ti^iumphantly acquitted, a verdict which wag received with great cheering and rejoicing by a very crowded assembly both within and without the court.
This trial, however, was the cause of Mr. Watson and myself withdrawing our names from the committee of the Union, although we did not resign our membership. This was owing to Benbow's underhanded conduct in matters relating to the trial, and by him and the lawyer he em- ployed uniting together to impose a very unjust bill upon the funds of the Union, in which acts we thought him countenanced by his re-election on the committee.
In May in the following year the unfortunate Calthorpe Street affair took place. This had its origin in a public meeting called by the Union of the Working Classes on the Calthorpe Estate, Cold Bath Fields, for taking preparatory steps respecting the calling of a National Convention. The proceedings, however, had no sooner commenced than the police made a furious onslaught upon the assembled multitude, knocking down, indiscriminately, men, women, and children, great numbers of them being very dangerously wounded. In the affray a policeman, of the name of Robert Cully, lost his life, he being stabbed