‘Swing’ was a movement led by impoverished labourers. They took action by machine-breaking and arson, campaigned for increased wages, and called for more generous poor relief. In 1829 there was a wet summer and autumn, which led to record applications for poor relief. An extremely cold winter meant that there was no outdoor employment. The … Read more
Sir John Lubbock was an influential banker, scientific writer, and politician. He introduced banking reforms, was an advocate for free trade, and was a prolific law maker. He is best remembered for his efforts to reduce working hours and introduce public holidays, including the Shop Hours Regulation Act of 1886. He also worked to introduce … Read more
Born in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, Octavia Hill was the eighth daughter of James Hill, a corn merchant, and his third wife, Caroline. Hill was born into a progressive family; her grandfather was a campaigner on public health, while her father was a follower of the social reformer Robert Owen, and founded the radical newspaper the Star … Read more
Saklatvala was a fervent supporter of Indian independence, a strong advocate of the rights of Indian, British and international workers, and a charismatic public speaker. He was an anti-imperialist parliamentarian protesting in the heart of the British Empire. Saklatvala was born into one of India’s wealthiest families; a nephew of J.N. Tata, the founder of … Read more
While Charlotte Despard is well known for her work as a suffragist, her work with the poor is less recognised. Despard left her upper middle-class life and home in Esher, Surrey to move to one of the most deprived areas of London and improve the lives of the people that lived there. She helped make … Read more
It might be tempting to think, given the name ‘Women’s March’, that the protests held on the 21st of January 2017 were voicing, chiefly, women’s issues. It’s true that there is more than sufficient reason for women to be outraged to see a man like Donald Trump, whose misogynist comments and behaviour were exposed by … Read more
By virtue of being a free-man, I conceive I have as true a right to all the privileges that doe belong to a free-man, as the greatest man in England, whatsoever he be ….. and the ground and foundation of my freedome, I build upon the Grand Charter of England John Lilburne was a seventeenth … Read more
The Provisions of Oxford are often seen as the starting point of the modern parliament in Britain. But what were they and why were they so important? Like his father before him, King John, Henry III had a difficult relationship with his barons. The First and Second Barons’ War between the kings and their barons … Read more
The story of William Cobbett is important both to Farnham, who celebrate him as their most famous son, and on a national and international level for his roles as a journalist, radical and political reformist. Born in Farnham in 1763, he was the son of a farmer and innkeeper. He was in the army between … Read more
