William Lovett (8 May 1800 – 8 August 1877) was a British activist and leader of the Chartist political movement. He was one of the leading London-based artisan

radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics * Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe an ...

s of his generation. A proponent of the idea that political rights could be garnered through political pressure and non-violent agitation, Lovett retired from more overt forms of political activity after a year of imprisonment on the political charge of

seditious libel Sedition and seditious libel were criminal offences under English common law, and are still criminal offences in Canada. Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection ...

in 1839–1840. He subsequently devoted himself to the

National Association for Promoting the Political and Social Improvement of the People The National Association for Promoting the Political and Social Improvement of the People was founded, in Britain, in 1841 by William Lovett in order to put his form of "educational chartism" into practice. This was denounced by the ''Northern Star ...

, seeking to improve the lives of the poor workers and their children by means of a Chartist educational programme put into practice.

Biography

Early activism

Born in the Cornish town of Newlyn in 1800, Lovett moved to London as a young man seeking work as a

cabinet maker A cabinet is a case or cupboard with shelves and/or drawers for storing or displaying items. Some cabinets are stand alone while others are built in to a wall or are attached to it like a medicine cabinet. Cabinets are typically made of wood (so ...

. He was self-educated, became a member of the Cabinetmakers Society, and later its President. He rose to national political prominence as founder of the Anti-Militia Association (slogan: 'no vote, no musket'), and was active in wider trade unionism through the Metropolitan Trades Union and Owenite socialism. In 1831, during the

Reform Act In the United Kingdom, Reform Act is most commonly used for legislation passed in the 19th century and early 20th century to enfranchise new groups of voters and to redistribute seats in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

agitation, he helped form the National Union of the Working Classes with radical colleagues Henry Hetherington and

James Watson James Dewey Watson (born April 6, 1928) is an American molecular biologist, geneticist, and zoologist. In 1953, he co-authored with Francis Crick the academic paper proposing the double helix structure of the DNA molecule. Watson, Crick a ...

. After the passage of the

he turned, with Hetherington, to the campaign to repeal taxes on newspapers known as the War of the Unstamped.

The London Working Men's Association

In June 1836 Lovett founded the

London Working Men's Association The London Working Men's Association was an organisation established in London in 1836.

with several radical colleagues including Hetherington. The LWMA's membership was restricted to 100 working men, although it admitted 35 honorary members including the later Chartist leader

Feargus O'Connor Feargus Edward O'Connor (18 July 1796 – 30 August 1855) was an Irish Chartist leader and advocate of the Land Plan, which sought to provide smallholdings for the labouring classes. A highly charismatic figure, O'Connor was admired for his ...

. Other honorary members included radical MP's, but the LWMA was strictly a working-class organisation, unlike groups such as the

Birmingham Political Union The Birmingham Political Union (General Political Union) was a grass roots pressure group in Great Britain during the 1830s. It was founded by Thomas Attwood, a banker interested in monetary reform. Its platform called for extending and redistrib ...

, whose executive was dominated by the middle-class. The original purpose of the LWMA was education, but in 1838 Lovett and fellow Radical Francis Place drafted a parliamentary bill which was the foundation of the Peoples' Charter, and the Association was effectively sidetracked into Chartism. The Bill was signed by Lovett and five other LWMA members, along with six

Radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics * Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe an ...

MPs including

Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell (I) ( ga, Dónall Ó Conaill; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century. His mobilizat ...

. Lovett is best known for his role in the Chartist movement. Chartism, a campaign for parliamentary reforms intended to correct inequities remaining after the Reform Act of 1832, spanned roughly 1838 to 1850.

Arrest and prison term

Like most leading Chartists, Lovett was arrested. In February 1839 the first Chartist Convention met in London, and on 4 February 1839 unanimously elected Lovett as its Secretary. On 13 May 1839 the Convention moved to

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

. Many supporters gathered in the city's Bull Ring, but local authorities had prohibited assembly there, and several were arrested. The Convention condemned the actions of police in breaking up the "riot", and posted placards which described the police who put down the riot as a "bloodthirsty and unconstitutional force". Lovett, as secretary, accepted responsibility for the placards, and was arrested along with John Collins, who had taken the placards to a printer. Lovett and Collins were later found guilty of

, and were sentenced to twelve months imprisonment in

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...

Gaol. They were released in July 1840.

The New life

While in prison Lovett, with Collins, wrote "Chartism, a New Organisation of the People", which focused on Chartist Education. Once released Lovett retired from politics, and in 1841 formed the

, an educational body. The body was to implement his New Move educational initiative, through which he hoped poor workers and their children would be able to better themselves. The New Move was to be funded through a 1 penny per week subscription paid by those Chartists who had signed the national petition. Hetherington and Place supported the move, but O'Connor opposed the scheme in the ''Northern Star'', believing it would distract Chartists from the main aim of having the petition implemented. The New Move was unable to generate the popular support that Lovett had hoped for. Membership never surpassed 500, and education was limited to Sunday schools. The

National Association Hall The National Hall, Holborn was a building in High Holborn, London, owned in the 1840s by the National Association for Promoting the Political and Social Improvement of the People. The lease of 242A High Holborn was taken by the National Associati ...

was opened in 1842, but closed in 1857 when the operation was evicted. In the 1851 Census Lovett described himself as a school teacher and in the 1861 and 1871 Censuses, a teacher of physiology.

Beliefs

Lovett was a moral-force Chartist, and decried the use or threat of violence to achieve political change. He believed in

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture * Temperance (group), Canadian dan ...

, and was a staunch advocate of sobriety. Against the educational standards of the time, he believed in teaching methods founded on kindness and compassion.

Personal life

Grave of William Lovett in Highgate Cemetery

Lovett's father drowned before he was born. He married Mary Solly from Pegwell, Kent in 1826, and she was a great support to him in his work. They had two daughters. In later years Lovett opened a bookshop, and completed his autobiography, ''The Life and Struggles of William Lovett'', in 1877. He died impoverished on 8 August 1877 and was buried on the western side of

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...

. His grave is now a grade II

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

monument.

References

External links

* * www.thepeoplescharter.co.uk * (Copyright status unknown) * * * * *
John Collins : Imprisonment & Bull Ring Riots
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lovett, William 1800 births 1877 deaths Burials at Highgate Cemetery English activists English prisoners and detainees Chartists People from Newlyn Owenites