In
his book Take Your Choice, Major
John Cartwright argued the case for parliamentary reform including:
manhood suffrage, the secret ballot, annual elections and equal electoral
districts. In 1805 Cartwright left his large estate in Lincolnshire
and moved to London. Cartwright made friends with other leading radicals
living in London including Sir Francis Burdett,
William Cobbett and Francis
Place.
In
1812 Major John Cartwright decided
to form the first Hampden Club. He then toured the country encouraging
other parliamentary reformers to follow his example. Cartwright main
objective was to unite middle class moderates with radical members
of the working class. This worried the authorities and this led to
Cartwright's arrest in Huddersfield in 1813.
The first Hampden Club outside of London was formed in 1816 by William
Fitton at Royden. Soon afterwards, Samuel
Bamford formed one at Middleton and Joseph
Healey did the same in Oldham. Later that year John
Knight and Joseph Johnson started
the Manchester Hampden Club. Other clubs supporting the ideas of Major
John Cartwright were also formed in Rochdale, Ashton-under-line
and Stockport.
Meetings took place once a week and as well as having debates on various
political issues, radical newspapers such as the Manchester
Observer, Cobbett's Political
Register, the Black Dwarf
and Sherwin's Political Register
were read to the members.
Manchester's magistrates became concerned
about the growth of Hampden Clubs and Joseph
Nadin Manchester's Deputy-Constable, began employing spies to
attend meetings. Nadin, who had already arrested a large number of
men for political offences, was much hated by local radicals, and
it was claimed that he was the "real ruler of Manchester".
After collecting enough information on members, they were arrested
and charged with attending seditious meetings.
In March 1819, leaders of the Hampden Clubs in the Manchester
area decided to form the Patriotic Union Society. All the leading
radicals in Manchester joined the organisation. Joseph
Johnson was appointed secretary and James
Wroe became treasurer.
During the summer of 1819 the Patriotic Union Society decided to invite
Major Cartwright, Henry
Orator Hunt and Richard Carlile to
speak at a public meeting in Manchester on parliamentary reform. The
men were told that this was to be "a meeting of the county of
Lancashire, than of Manchester alone. I think by good management the
largest assembly may be procured that was ever seen in this country."
Cartwright was unable to attend but Hunt and Carlile accepted the
invitation and it was decided to hold the meeting at St.
Peter's Field on 16th August, 1819.
(1)
In his book Passage in the Life of a Radical Samuel
Bamford described the formation of the Hampden Club in Middleton
in 1817.
Hampden
Clubs were established in many large towns, and the villages around
them, for weekly readings and discussions. One of these clubs was
established in 1816, at the small town of Middleton, near Manchester;
and I, having been instrumental in its formation, a tolerable reader
also, and rather expert writer, was chosen secretary. The club prospered,
the number of men increased, the funds raised by contributions of
a penny a week became more than sufficient for all out-goings, and
taking a bold step, we soon rented a chapel which had been given up
by a society of Kilhamite Methodists. We held our meetings there on
the evenings of Monday and Saturday in each week.
Several meetings of delegates from the surrounding districts were
held at our chapel. On 1st January, 1817, a meeting of delegates from
twenty-one bodies was held in our chapel, when resolutions were passed
on the right of every male to vote, who paid taxes; that males of
eighteen should be eligible to vote; that parliaments should be elected
annually; that every twenty thousand inhabitants should send a member
to the House of Commons; and that talent and virtue were the only
qualifications necessary.
(2)
William Ogden, a member of the Manchester Hampden Club, was arrested
by Joseph Nadin in March 1817. In court
he explained what had happened.
The
notorious Joseph Nadin had for six weeks before declared to me, from
time to time, that if I did not discontinue my attendance at the meetings,
he would apprehend me.
(3)
In his book Personal Recollections of Manchester, Archibald
Prentice described how some of the leaders of the Hampden Clubs
were arrested by Joseph Nadin and sent to
be tried in London.
Among
the persons taken into custody, under the suspension of the habeas
corpus act, was the weaver poet, Samuel Bamford, who was apprehended
and handcuffed at Middleton, by Nadin, the deputy-constable of Manchester,
and six or eight police officers, all of whom were well armed with
staves, pistols and blunderbusses.
On Sunday, the 30th of March, 1817, Samuel Bamford, along with Dr.
Healey, Joseph Sellers, Nathan Hulton, John Roberts, Edward Ridings
and Edward O'Connor were sent off to London, heavily ironed by the
legs. Nadin wished to add body and neck collars, and armlets with
chains, but the king's messengers objected to their use.
On Tuesday they were conveyed to the secretary of state's office,
at Whitehall, where they were received by Sir Samuel Shepherd, the
attorney general, Lord Sidmouth and Lord Castlereagh - the secret
tribunal, which, under the suspension of the habeas corpus act, superseded
judge and jury.
Available from Amazon Books
(order below)
