Katherine Fry to Louisa Pelly, describing the anxiety caused by posters announcing the meeting at St. Andrew's Hall, referring to British as well as foreign slavery, and inviting the Chartists to attend since they had disrupted a meeting of the Anti-Slavery Society a few nights ago, 19 Nov 1840
As a consequence, Joseph John Gurney and Buxton were summoned to see the High Sheriff. She describes the meeting itself, the behaviour of the 200 Chartists who attended it and of Dover, the printer of the posters and his friend, their speeches alleging that they were slaves of the worst kind, and their demands for universal suffrage, equal division of property, the repeal of the poor laws, etc. They had criticised the Queen's income and heckled the other speakers, including Joseph John Gurney, until the resolutions had been quickly passed by the group on the platform. The police had advised the removal of the ladies and they had all left to reassemble at Earlham while the mob took over. She compares the scene with the beginnings of the French Revolution, noting that three notorious, socialist women were among the most vocal of the agitators and proposing that the best thing to do would be to punish Dover, his accomplice Hewitt, and another ringleader immediately. (Copy.)
Dates
- Creation: 19 Nov 1840
Extent
7 pages
Language of Materials
- English
Conditions Governing Access
This material is fragile. To ensure its availability to future readers, access to this material is restricted. Readers are asked to work from reproductions and published descriptions as far as possible. To apply to see the original, please send a message to specialcollections.enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk, outlining the subject of your research, the importance of this material to that research, and the resources you have already consulted. Please also tell us about the timeframe for your project, if any, and when you hope to visit.
Shelfmark
MSS. Brit. Emp. s. 444 Vol. 20, pp. 37-43
Existence and Location of Copies
A microfilm (Micr. Brit. Emp. 17, reel 8) is available for use at the Weston Library.
Repository Details
Part of the Bodleian Libraries Repository
Weston Library
Broad Street
Oxford OX1 3BG United Kingdom
specialcollections.enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk