Henry "Orator" Hunt (6 November 1773 – 13 February 1835) was a British radical speaker and agitator remembered as a pioneer of working-class
radicalism and an important influence on the later
Chartist movement
Chartism was a working-class movement for political reform in the United Kingdom that erupted from 1838 to 1857 and was strongest in 1839, 1842 and 1848. It took its name from the People's Charter of 1838 and was a national protest movement, w ...
. He advocated
parliamentary
A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...
reform and the repeal of the
Corn Laws. He was the first member of parliament to advocate for women's suffrage; in 1832 he presented a petition to parliament from a woman asking for the right to vote.
Background
Hunt was born on 6 November 1773 in
Upavon
Upavon is a rural village and civil parish in the county of Wiltshire, England. As its name suggests, it is on the upper portion of the River Avon which runs from north to south through the village. It is on the north edge of Salisbury Plain ...
, Wiltshire.
Career
Hunt became a prosperous farmer. He was first drawn into radical politics during the
Napoleonic Wars, becoming a supporter of
Francis Burdett
Sir Francis Burdett, 5th Baronet (25 January 1770 – 23 January 1844) was a British politician and Member of Parliament who gained notoriety as a proponent (in advance of the Chartists) of universal male suffrage, equal electoral districts, vo ...
. His talent for public speaking became noted in the electoral politics of
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, where he denounced the complacency of both the
Whigs and the
Tories, and proclaimed himself a supporter of democratic radicalism. It was thanks to his particular talents that a new programme beyond the narrow politics of the day made steady progress in the difficult years that followed the conclusion of the war with France.
Orator
After his rousing speeches at mass meetings held in
Spa Fields
Spa Fields is a park and its surrounding area in the London Borough of Islington, bordering Finsbury and Clerkenwell. Historically it is known for the Spa Fields riots of 1816 and an Owenite community which existed there between 1821 and 1824. Th ...
in London in 1816, Hunt became known as the "Orator", a nickname attributed to
Robert Southey. He embraced a programme that included annual parliaments and universal suffrage, promoted openly and with none of the conspiratorial element of the old
Jacobin clubs. The tactic he most favoured was that of 'mass pressure', which he felt, if given enough weight, could achieve reform without insurrection.
His efforts at
mass politics had the effect of radicalising large sections of the community unrepresented in Parliament, although the direct success of these efforts was limited.
Peterloo
Hunt was invited by the Patriotic Union Society, formed by the ''
Manchester Observer'', to be one of the scheduled speakers at a rally in
Manchester on 16 August 1819, which turned into the
Peterloo massacre. Arrested for
high treason and convicted of the lesser charge of
seditious conspiracy
Seditious conspiracy is a crime in various jurisdictions of conspiring against the authority or legitimacy of the state. As a form of sedition, it has been described as a serious but lesser counterpart to treason, targeting activities that underm ...
, he was sentenced to a term of 30 months at
Ilchester Gaol
Ilchester is a village and civil parish, situated on the River Yeo or Ivel, five miles north of Yeovil, in the English county of Somerset. Originally a Roman town, and later a market town, Ilchester has a rich medieval history and was a notable ...
. For the establishment, Hunt believed in some concepts that could threaten the profits of the business establishment: equal rights, universal suffrage, parliamentary reform, and an end to child labour.
The debacle at Peterloo, caused by an over-reaction of the local Manchester authorities, added greatly to his prestige. Moral force was not sufficient in itself, and physical force entailed too great a risk. Although urged to do so after Peterloo, Hunt refused to give his approval to schemes for a full-scale insurrection. Thereby momentum was lost, as more desperate souls turned to worn out cloak-and-dagger schemes, which surfaced in the
Cato Street conspiracy
The Cato Street Conspiracy was a plot to murder all the British cabinet ministers and the Prime Minister Lord Liverpool in 1820. The name comes from the meeting place near Edgware Road in London. The police had an informer; the plotters fell into ...
.
While in prison for his role at Peterloo, Hunt turned to writing to disseminate his message, through a variety of forms including an autobiography. After his release he attempted to recover some of his lost fortune through new business ventures in London, which included the production and marketing of a roasted corn ''Breakfast Powder'', the "most salubrious and nourishing Beverage that can be substituted for the use of Tea and Coffee, which are always exciting, and frequently the most irritating to the Stomach and Bowels." He also made shoe-blacking bottles, which carried the slogan "Equal Laws, Equal Rights, Annual Parliaments, Universal Suffrage, and the Ballot." Synthetic coal, intended specifically for the French market, was another of his schemes. After the
July Revolution in 1830 he sent samples to
Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette and other political heroes, along with fraternal greetings.
Parliament
Business interests notwithstanding, he still found time for practical politics, fighting battles over a whole range of issues, and always pushing for reform and accountability. In 1830 he became a member of Parliament for
Preston
Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to:
Places
England
*Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement
**The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement
**County Boro ...
defeating the future British Prime Minister
Edward Stanley, but was defeated when standing for re-election in 1833. As a consistent champion of the working classes, a term he used with increasing frequency, he opposed the Whigs, both old and new, and the
Reform Act 1832
The Representation of the People Act 1832 (also known as the 1832 Reform Act, Great Reform Act or First Reform Act) was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom (indexed as 2 & 3 Will. IV c. 45) that introduced major changes to the elect ...
, which he believed did not go far enough in the extension of the franchise. He gave speeches addressed to the "Working Classes and no other", urging them to press for full equal rights. In 1832 he presented the first petition in support of women's suffrage to Parliament. It was received however with much ribald laughter and antagonism. Also in that year, he petitioned parliament on behalf of the radical preacher
John Ward, who had been imprisoned for blasphemy.
In his opposition to the Reform Bill, Orator Hunt revived the
Great Northern Union ttp://www.gnusings.com/ The Great Northern Unionwas a men's barbershop chorus based in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. They performed four-part harmony in the barbershop style. Officially, they were the Hilltop, Minnesota chapter of the Barbersho ...
, a pressure group he set up some years before, intended to unite the northern industrial workers behind a platform of full democratic reform; and it is in this specifically that his influence on
Chartism
Chartism was a working-class movement for political reform in the United Kingdom that erupted from 1838 to 1857 and was strongest in 1839, 1842 and 1848. It took its name from the People's Charter of 1838 and was a national protest movement, w ...
can be detected.
Death
Hunt's health declined during 1834, and in early 1835 he suffered a severe stroke at
Alresford, Hampshire, where he died on 13 February 1835. He was buried at
Parham Park
Parham Park is an Elizabethan house and estate in the civil parish of Parham, west of the village of Cootham, and between Storrington and Pulborough, West Sussex, South East England. The estate was originally owned by the Monastery of Westmin ...
, Sussex.
Legacy
A monument to Hunt was erected in 1842 by "the working people", in Every Street, Manchester, in Scholefield's Chapel Yard. A "spiral" march was held on the anniversary of Peterloo, from Piccadilly around the town past the Peterloo site, down to Deansgate and through Ancoats to the monument. The monument's stonework deteriorated, and it was demolished in 1888.
In popular culture
In
Mike Leigh's 2018 film ''
Peterloo'', Hunt is portrayed by
Rory Kinnear.
See also
*
Peterloo Massacre
References
*
Belchem, John. ''"Orator" Hunt: Henry Hunt and English Working-Class Radicalism''. Clarendon, 1985. . Republished b
Breviary Stuff Publications 2012. .
*
* ''Memoirs of Henry Hunt, Esq. Written by himself in his Majesty's Jail at Ilchester'', three volumes, 1820–1822
* ''Addresses to the Radical Reformers of England, Ireland and Scotland 1820–1822'', Henry Hunt
* ''Addresses from Henry Hunt, Esq. M.P. to the Radical Reformers of England, Ireland and Scotland, on the measures of the Whig Ministers since they have been in place and power'', 1–13, 1831–1832
* ''The Preston Cock's Reply to the Kensington Dunghill'', 1831
* ''The Casualties of Peterloo'', Bush, Michael, 2006
External links
*
*
*
Guide to the Henry Hunt Papers MS 563 1760-1838at th
University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunt, Henry
1773 births
1835 deaths
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
UK MPs 1830–1831
UK MPs 1831–1832
People from Wiltshire
British radicals