By Gerrard Sables Issue 17, Summer, 2007 pp. 35-38. Devon-born poet and bootmaker, John Greggory, was a beloved member of the socialist community in Bristol. In this article, Gerrard Stables follows the story of Greggory’s life and traces his connections to the Chartist, Socialist and Trade Unionist movements of Bristol. Throughout his life, Greggory’s poetry evolved and naturally became evermore connected to the social causes which he fought for. 17 - Gerrard Sables:… Continue reading ‘Natural Fire’ and the Idyls of Labour: a socialist poet in nineteenth Century Bristol
Tag: nineteenth century
‘Fiddles, raffles and vociferation’: Looking back at Bristol’s St James’s Fair
St James’s fair in Bristol was a wonderful microcosm of Georgian life. The Georgians were globally aware, acquisitive and had a hearty appetite for entertainment and vice. Madge Dresser and Steve Poole explore different aspects of this social occasion; from trade and entertainment, both local and exotic, to thievery and debauchery. The fair caught the attention of moral reformers who viewed it as an arena symbolic of the cheating and corruption which they so fervently opposed.
The End of Newgate: Bristol Corporation and the Politics of Nineteenth Century Gaol Reform
The end of Newgate saw the beginning of an arduous struggle between the Bristol Corporation and some of Bristol’s leading citizens. The episode draws attention to the inner workings of contemporary municipal government in Bristol and leaves us with more questions than answers about the nature of the Bristol Corporation. Treading the line between a public and a private organisation, the conduct of the Corporation paints a picture of out-dated paternalism, characterised by wealth, far-reaching influence and self-interest.
Invoices from the Past: The household expenses of a farming family in early 19th century Wiltshire
The Wiltshire and Swindon Record Office is home to a remarkably complete collection of invoices from two branches of the Pyke family of nineteenth century Wiltshire. This article highlights just how much information can be drawn from a simple source like a bill or a voucher. Through these sources, archivist Steven Hobbs provides a window not only into the household economy and estate expenditure of the two farms, but also into the local community. A full spectrum of local trades and skilled workers are revived in this short article, along with information about the kinds of products that were available in nineteenth century Wiltshire.
Re-interrogating the Idyll: Slavery and Country Houses in Gloucestershire
The country house, centrepiece of the heritage industry, is something which is sold to us as being quintessentially British. In the South-West and throughout England, these sites have welcomed visitors for decades to come and enjoy the elegance and grandeur of this heritage. In this article, Madge Dresser highlights the sanitisation of the histories that are presented by these stately homes. Drawing our attention to the complex web of links between aristocratic wealth and the Atlantic slave economy, Dresser seeks to persuade readers that unearthing these links is a worthwhile historical enterprise.
Mary Rudge: Bristol’s World Chess Champion
'She was "the leading lady player of the world" and "known throughout the length and breadth of the land" in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. The pinnacle of her career was winning the first international women's chess tournament in 1897, but she lived a life of genteel poverty and died almost forgotten. John Richards uncovers the extraordinary career of Mary Rudge and argues the case for a blue plaque to mark her achievements'.
Sites of memory and neglect: John Thelwall and the art of dying quietly
'The burial fields around St Swithin's Church at the top of Walcot in Bath contain some pretty impressive mortal remains. There's Fanny Burney for instance, and Jane Austen's dad. And Sir Edward Berry, one of Nelson's captain's, a veteran of the Nile and Trafalgar. These three eminent visitors to Bath all have more in common than approximation in death however, for their monuments are also the subject of expensive recent face-lifts'.
The man who’d have blood for his supper: the killing of Henry Murray
'If the maintenance of order on the streets of early nineteenth century Bristol was never a simple matter, the constantly shifting presence of large visiting communities of seafaring Europeans cannot have made it any easier. With inns, lodging houses, streets and quays frequently awash with colourfully vibrant but uncustomary sights and sounds, social tensions and conflicts between host and 'outlandish' communities were rarely far beneath the surface. Often the detail of these cultural tensions went unrecorded but, as Steve Poole shows here, papers from a coroners inquest kept at the Bristol Record Office, bring them vividly back to life'.
Oldbury Court: The Place and the People
.The Oldbury Court Park and housing estate is situated about 3.5 miles from the centre of the city of Bristol. It has a recorded history dating back to 1086 and the core of the original Domesday land holding has remained remarkably clear of development for over 900 years. Its proximity to Bristol has inevitably meant that throughout its long history it has been intimately connected with the economic and social development of Bristol'. Anthony Nott looks at the events that transpired, and how it has shaped the history of the place.
A ‘Determined Suicide’ at Slad
The village of Slad in Gloucestershire is best known as the childhood home, and final resting place, of the poet and author Laurie Lee (1914-1997). His early years were captured, famously, in Cider with Rosie,a series of evocative tales of village life. Bond focus in this short article, on the mysterious death of a local person, and the series of events which transpired in pursuit of the cause.