George Jacob Holyoake (13 April 1817 – 22 January 1906) was an English secularist,
co-operator and newspaper editor. He coined the terms
secularism
Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on naturalistic considerations, uninvolved with religion. It is most commonly thought of as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state and may be broadened ...
in 1851 and "
jingoism" in 1878. He edited a secularist paper, ''The Reasoner'', from 1846 to June 1861, and a co-operative one, ''The English Leader'', in 1864–1867.
Early life
George Jacob Holyoake was born in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
, where his father worked as a
whitesmith and his mother as a button maker. He attended a
dame school
Dame schools were small, privately run schools for children aged two to five. They emerged in Great Britain and its colonies during the Early modern Britain, early modern period. These schools were taught by a “school dame,” a local woman ...
and a Wesleyan Sunday School, began working half-days at the same foundry as his father at the age of eight, and learnt his trade. At 18 he began attending lectures at the Birmingham
Mechanics' Institute, where he encountered the
socialist
Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
writings of
Robert Owen
Robert Owen (; 14 May 1771 – 17 November 1858) was a Welsh textile manufacturer, philanthropist, political philosopher and social reformer, and a founder of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement, co-operative movement. He strove to ...
and later became an assistant lecturer. He married Eleanor Williams in 1839 and decided to become a full-time teacher, but was rejected for his
socialist
Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
views. Unable to teach full-time, Holyoake took a job as an
Owenite social missionary. His first posting was in Worcester, but the following year he was transferred to a more important one in Sheffield.
Owenism
Holyoake joined
Charles Southwell in dissenting from the official Owenite policy that lecturers should take a religious oath to enable them to take collections on Sundays. Southwell had founded an atheist publication, ''
Oracle of Reason'', and was soon imprisoned on those grounds. Holyoake took over as editor, having moved to an
atheist position as a result of his experiences.
Holyoake was influenced by the French
philosopher of science
Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
,
Auguste Comte
Isidore Auguste Marie François Xavier Comte (; ; 19 January 1798 – 5 September 1857) was a French philosopher, mathematician and writer who formulated the doctrine of positivism. He is often regarded as the first philosopher of science in the ...
, notable in
sociology
Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...
and famous for the doctrine of
positivism
Positivism is a philosophical school that holds that all genuine knowledge is either true by definition or positivemeaning '' a posteriori'' facts derived by reason and logic from sensory experience.John J. Macionis, Linda M. Gerber, ''Soci ...
. Comte had himself attempted to establish a secular "
religion of humanity" to fulfil the cohesive
function of traditional religion. Holyoake was an acquaintance of
Harriet Martineau
Harriet Martineau (12 June 1802 – 27 June 1876) was an English social theorist.Hill, Michael R. (2002''Harriet Martineau: Theoretical and Methodological Perspectives'' Routledge. She wrote from a sociological, holism, holistic, religious and ...
, who translated various works by Comte and was perhaps the first female sociologist. She wrote to him excitedly on reviewing
Darwin's ''
On the Origin of Species
''On the Origin of Species'' (or, more completely, ''On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life'')The book's full original title was ''On the Origin of Species by M ...
'' in 1859.
Prosecution
In 1842, Holyoake became one of the last persons convicted for
blasphemy
Blasphemy refers to an insult that shows contempt, disrespect or lack of Reverence (emotion), reverence concerning a deity, an object considered sacred, or something considered Sanctity of life, inviolable. Some religions, especially Abrahamic o ...
in a public lecture, held in April 1842 at the
Cheltenham
Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...
Mechanics' Institute, though this had no theological character and the incriminating words were merely a reply to a question addressed to him from the body of the meeting.
It took an intervention by supporters to stop him being walked in chains from Cheltenham to
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...
Gaol, and there was a formal complaint to the Home Secretary, which was upheld. He was well supported by the ''Cheltenham Free Press'' at the time in his actions, but attacked in the ''Cheltenham Chronicle'' and ''Examiner''. Those at the lecture, the second in a series, moved and carried a motion "that free discussion was equally beneficial in the departments of politics, morals and religion." In 1842 Holyoake and the socialist
Emma Martin formed the
Anti-Persecution Union to support
free thinkers in danger of arrest.
Secularism
Holyoake nonetheless underwent six months' imprisonment and editorship of the ''Oracle'' changed hands. After the paper closed at the end of 1843, Holyoake founded a more moderate one, ''The Movement'', which survived into 1845. Holyoake also founded ''The Reasoner'', where he developed the concept of ''
secularism
Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on naturalistic considerations, uninvolved with religion. It is most commonly thought of as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state and may be broadened ...
'',. Among the causes he supported through the paper was that of
Thomas Pooley, who was imprisoned for twenty-one months on a blasphemy charge in 1857. It was followed by the ''
Secular Review'' in August 1876. He was the last person indicted for publishing an unstamped newspaper, but the prosecution was dropped when the tax was withdrawn.
He retained his disbelief in God, but after the ''Oracle'' soon came to see "atheism" as a negative term, preferring "secularism". He then adopted the term "
agnostic", when it appeared.
In the 1850s Holyoake and
Charles Southwell were lecturing in East London.
Harriet Law, then a Baptist, began debating with them, and in the process changed her beliefs. She "saw the light of reason" in 1855 and became a supporter of Holyoake and a prominent secular speaker.
After an 1877 split with
Charles Bradlaugh and
Annie Besant, leaders of the
National Secular Society (NSS), Holyoake,
Charles Watts and Harriet Law founded the
British Secular Union, which remained active until 1884.
On 6 March 1881, Holyoake was a speaker at the opening of
Leicester Secular Society Leicester Secular Society is the world's oldest Secularism, Secular Society. It meets at its headquarters, the Leicester Secular Hall in the centre of Leicester, England, at 75 Humberstone Gate.
Founding
Founded in 1851, the society is the oldest ...
's
Secular Hall in Humberstone Gate, along with
Harriet Law,
Annie Besant and
Charles Bradlaugh. He chaired the
Rationalist Press Association in 1899–1906.
Co-operative movement
Holyoake's later years were mainly spent on the working-class co-operative movement. He served as
President for the first day of the 1887
Co-operative Congress.
He wrote a history of the ''Rochdale Pioneers'' (1857), ''The History of Co-operation in England'' (1875; revised ed. 1906) and ''The Co-operative Movement of To-day'' (1891). He also published (1892) an autobiography entitled ''Sixty Years of an Agitator's Life'', and in 1905 two volumes of reminiscences, ''Bygones Worth Remembering''.

Holyoake died in
Brighton
Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
,
Sussex
Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...
, on 22 January 1906, and was buried in the eastern section of
Highgate Cemetery in London. The grave lies in a north-east section, off the main paths, and is not readily accessible, but visible between graves on the east side of the main central-north path, behind
George Eliot's grave.
The Co-operative Movement decided to build a lasting monument to him: a permanent home for the
Co-operative Union in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
. Holyoake House was opened in 1911 and also houses the National Co-operative Archive. A second collection is held at
Bishopsgate Library.
Other aspects
Holyoake coined the term "
jingoism" in a letter to ''
The Daily News'' on 13 March 1878, referring to the patriotic song "By Jingo" by
G. W. Hunt, popularised by the
music hall
Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...
singer
G. H. MacDermott. Referring back to this he wrote, "I had certainly intended to mark, by a convenient name, a new species of patriots...
hosecharacteristic was a war-urging pretentiousness which discredited the silent, resolute, self-defensiveness of the British people."
Holyoake was the uncle of an independent MP and convicted fraudster,
Horatio Bottomley, and contributed to the cost of Bottomley's upkeep after he was orphaned in 1865. The New Zealand Prime Minister
Keith Holyoake was related to him.
Memorials
Holyoake is listed on the south face of the Reformers' Memorial in London's
Kensal Green Cemetery.
The Cooperative Union Limited Holyoake House, Hanover Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M60 0AS has Holyoake commemorated on the side of the building as “one of the pioneers of Co-operation who for nearly 70 years was a strenuous worker for liberty and reform”.
The
National Secular Society unveiled a blue plaque commemorating Holyoake on Friday 17 August 2018. It is mounted on the front of a newsagents' at 4 Woburn Walk in
Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London, part of the London Borough of Camden in England. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural institution, cultural, intellectual, and educational ...
, London, WC1H 0JL, as part of the
Marchmont Association's scheme of local history commemorative plaques.
Holyoake Road in
Headington, Oxford, Holyoake Walk in
Ealing
Ealing () is a district in west London (sub-region), west London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. It is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Pl ...
, London, Holyoake Terrace in
Penrith, Cumbria
Penrith (, ) is a market town and civil parish in the Westmorland and Furness district of Cumbria, England. It is less than outside the Lake District, Lake District National Park and about south of Carlisle. It is between the Rivers River Pet ...
and Holyoake Terrace in
Sevenoaks, Kent, are named after George Holyoake.
Publications
''Rationalism: A Treatise for the Times''(London: J. Watson, 1845)
''The History of the Last Trial by Jury for Atheism in England: A Fragment of Autobiography''(London: J. Watson, 1850)
''Christianity and Secularism Report of a Public Discussion Between Rev. Brewin and G. J. Holyoake''(London: Ward & Co, 1853)
''Rudiments of Public Speaking and Debate or, Hints on the Application of Logic''(New York: McElrath & Barker, 1853);
''The Trial of Theism''(London, 1858)
''The Principles of Secularism''(London, 1870)
*''The History of Co-operation in England: Its Literature and its Advocates''
Volume IVolume II
(London: Trübner & Co, 1875)
''English Secularism: A Confession of Belief''
(Chicago: The Open Court Publishing Company, 1896)
See also
*
Thomas Aikenhead – the last person executed for blasphemy in Britain
Notes
References
*David Berman (1990), ''A history of atheism in Britain: from Hobbes to Russell'', London: Routledge.
*Joseph McCabe (1908), ''Life and Letters of George Jacob Holyoake'', 2 vols. London: Watts & Co. It includes ''A contribution towards a bibliography of the writings of George Jacob Holyoake'', by C. W. F. Goss, pp. 329–344.)
*
*
Michael Rectenwald (2013), "Secularism and the Cultures of Nineteenth-century Scientific Naturalism". ''The British Journal for the History of Science'' 46, no. 2: pp. 231–254
Found at JSTOR here
*Michael Rectenwald (2016), ''Nineteenth-century British Secularism Science, Religion and Literature.'' Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan
*Ray Argyle (2021), ''Inventing Secularism: The Radical Life of George Jacob Holyoake.'' Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland
External links
George Jacob Holyoake biographyon the
Humanist Heritage websiteOxford Reference Online Premium–
Edward Royle "Holyoake, George Jacob" The Oxford Companion to British History. Ed. John Cannon. Oxford University Press, 1997
George Jacob Holyoakebiography & selected writings at gerald-massey.org.uk
*
*
''The Reasoner''on
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
*
Secularism 101: Defining Secularism: Origins with George Jacob Holyoake
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holyoake, George Jacob
1817 births
1906 deaths
Burials at Highgate Cemetery
English agnostics
English autobiographers
English criminals
English humanists
English socialists
British cooperative organizers
British critics of Christianity
Freethought writers
Owenites
People convicted of blasphemy
Writers from Birmingham, West Midlands
Presidents of Co-operative Congress