William Cobbett petition

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: MS-HUT-018

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Collection consists of one hand-written petition to the House of Commons, February 15, 1830. The bound manuscript numbers eight pages. Cobbett's address was presented during the end of Tory rule. In the petition, cobbett argued for economic and political reform and the relief in agricultural areas where the farmers were seriously deprived.

Dates

Creation: 1830 February 15

Creator

Cobbett, William, 1763-1835 (Person)

Use Restrictions

All access to this collection is unrestricted

Biographical Note

William Cobbett was an English author, journalist, and radical. He was born at Farnham, Surrey, March 9, 1763 and served in the British Navy before emigrating to America in 1792. In America, he published a series of pamphlets including "The Scarecrow" and "The Life of Tom Paine." Returning to England in 1802, Cobbett began the weekly "Political Register," a forum to promote his ideas for parlimentary and economical reform. After a term in prison, he emerged as a leader of the working classes but he was forced again to seek sanctuary in America. From there, he published "Grammar of the English Language,"a guide for the working class student. He returned to England in 1819 and began again his agitation for parliamentary reform. After the passage of the Reform Act 1832, Cobbett was elected to Parliament. William Cobbett died in 1835.