Richard Moore (radical)
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Richard Moore (1810–1878) was an English radical politician. He was a moderate Chartist, and heavily involved in the campaign against "
taxes on knowledge Taxes on knowledge was a slogan defining an extended British campaign against duties and taxes on newspapers, their advertising content, and the paper they were printed on. The paper tax was early identified as an issue: "A tax upon Paper, is a ta ...
".


Early life

Moore was born in London 16 October 1810. He worked as a wood-carver, and in time employed his own staff. While young, he began to take a part in radical politics. He became in 1831 a member of the council of Sir Francis Burdett's National Political Union, and assisted
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 ...
's work in Gray's Inn Lane.


Chartist

In 1834 Moore was the leader of a deputation to
Lord Melbourne Henry William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (15 March 177924 November 1848) was a British Whig politician who served as the Home Secretary and twice as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. His first premiership ended when he was dismissed ...
on the question of the social condition of the people. He was a member of the committee for which
William Lovett 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 radicals of his generation. Biography Early activism Born in the Cornish tow ...
drew up the People's Charter in 1837, as a representative of the London Working-men's Association. In 1839 he was a member of the National Convention which met to promote the passing of the charter, was secretary of the committee which greeted Lovett and John Collins on their release from gaol in 1840, and joined forces with Lovett in the Working-men's Association in 1842. He took part in its meetings in the National Hall, Holborn. Moore supported the Chartist cause, but not the "physical force" party, and never overstated what the Charter could achieve for the working classes. He joined the People's International League of 1847, set up by Thomas Cooper and
William James Linton William James Linton (December 7, 1812December 29, 1897) was an English-born American wood-engraver, landscape painter, political reformer and author of memoirs, novels, poetry and non-fiction. Birth and early years Born in Mile End, east L ...
, with Lovett and John Parry. When the People's Charter Union (CPU) was formed on 10 April 1848, he was appointed its treasurer.


Aftermath of Chartism

In 1849 Moore took up the reform with which he became most involved, the abolition of tax stamps on newspapers. He lobbied
Richard Cobden Richard Cobden (3 June 1804 – 2 April 1865) was an English Radicals (UK), Radical and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician, manufacturing, manufacturer, and a campaigner for free trade and peace. He was associated with the Anti–Corn Law L ...
to adopt it, as a way to keep the working and middle classes in touch over financial reforms. The Charter Union appointed a committee on the tax stamp issue, the National Stamp Abolition Committee (NSAC); the NSAC was in effect the successor to the CPU. It met at Moore's house, and he became its permanent chairman. Between 7 March 1849, when the NSAC was formed, and the repeal of the paper duty in June 1861, Moore attended 390 related meetings. During the same period he was an advanced radical, a steady colleague of Lovett,
Henry Hetherington Henry Hetherington (June 1792 – 24 August 1849) was an English printer, bookseller, publisher and newspaper proprietor who campaigned for social justice, a free press, universal suffrage and religious freethought. Together with his close asso ...
, and
James Watson James Dewey Watson (born April 6, 1928) is an American molecular biology, molecular biologist, geneticist, and zoologist. In 1953, he co-authored with Francis Crick the academic paper in ''Nature (journal), Nature'' proposing the Nucleic acid ...
. Hetherington and Watson were original NSAC members; G. J. Holyoake and
James Stansfeld Sir James Stansfeld, ( ; 5 March 182017 February 1898) was a British Radical and Liberal politician and social reformer who served as Under-Secretary of State for India (1866), Financial Secretary to the Treasury (1869–71) and Preside ...
then joined. Holyoake sought allies, such as those working to have duties on advertising and paper scrapped, bringing in
Charles Cowan Charles Cowan (7 June 1801 – 1889) was a Scottish politician and paper-maker. Life He was born in Charlotte Street in Edinburgh on 7 June 1801, the son of Alexander Cowan, papermaker and philanthropist, and Elizabeth Hall, daughter of George ...
. The NSAC was absorbed after two years by the Association for Promoting the Repeal of Taxes on Knowledge (APRTK or APRTOK), and Moore was one of its most active members, sharing the organisational tasks with Collet Dobson Collet. The officers of the APRTK, set up in 1851, were
Thomas Milner Gibson Thomas Milner Gibson PC (3 September 1806 – 25 February 1884) was a British politician. Background and education Thomas Milner Gibson came of a Suffolk family, but was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, where his father, Thomas Milner Gibson, ...
(President), Collet (Secretary), Moore (Chairman), and
Francis Place Francis Place (3 November 1771, London – 1 January 1854, London) was an English social reformer described as "a ubiquitous figure in the machinery of radical London." Background and early life He was an illegitimate son of Simon Place and M ...
(Treasurer). While the officers were not much affected, the rest of the committee was populated by middle-class radicals, with Cobden dominant; included were
John Bright John Bright (16 November 1811 – 27 March 1889) was a British Radical and Liberal statesman, one of the greatest orators of his generation and a promoter of free trade policies. A Quaker, Bright is most famous for battling the Corn La ...
,
George Dawson George Dawson may refer to: Politicians * George Dawson (Northern Ireland politician) (1961–2007), Northern Ireland politician * George Walker Wesley Dawson (1858–1936), Canadian politician * George Oscar Dawson (1825–1865), Georgia poli ...
, Charles Gilpin, G. H. Lewes and
Edward Miall Edward Miall (8 May 1809 – 30 April 1881) was an English journalist, apostle of Disestablishmentarianism, disestablishment, founder of the Liberation Society (Society for the Liberation of the Church from State Patronage and Control), and Libe ...
. The APRTK continued to campaign, on the issue of postal rates for distribution of newspapers. The matter was addressed in the Post Office Act 1870. A final meeting took place that year, in Moore's house.


Later life

Moore was a member of the Society of the Friends of Italy, the Jamaica Committee, and of numerous other committees and societies. He worked to promote electoral purity in
Finsbury Finsbury is a district of Central London, forming the southeastern part of the London Borough of Islington. It borders the City of London. The Manorialism, Manor of Finsbury is first recorded as ''Vinisbir'' (1231) and means "manor of a man c ...
, where he had lived from 1832, and assisted in managing the Regent's Park Sunday band. Moore died on 7 December 1878 and was buried on the western side of
Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in North London, England, designed by architect Stephen Geary. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East sides. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for so ...
.


Family

Moore married, on 9 December 1836, Mary Sharp of
Malton, North Yorkshire Malton is a market town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward in North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshi ...
, a niece of James Watson the publisher and Chartist. She and four of their children survived him.


Notes


References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Richard 1810 births 1878 deaths Burials at Highgate Cemetery English woodcarvers Chartists Politicians from London 19th-century English artists