Rural Rides

  Rowland, John: of Chilworth in Surrey; grower of ‘Cobbett’s Corn’. See Cobbett’s Treatise on Corn.

  Russell, Charles James Fox (1807–94): son of the sixth Duke of Bedford. He was the Whig MP for Bedfordshire from 1832 to 1841.

  Russell, Lord George William (1790–1846): MP for Bedford (1812–39).

  Russell, Lord John (1792–1878): statesman, sixth Duke of Bedford, Whig MP from 1813, future prime minister. He introduced the Reform Bill (all three times) and supported many other liberal measures, though Cobbett saw him as tainted by Utilitarianism, and disapproved of his support for Sir Manasseh Lopez.

  Russell, Lord William (1767–1840): MP for Tavistock (1809–19,1826–31).

  St John, the Rev. J. F.: rector of Severn Stoke, Worcestershire.

  Salisbury, Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury (d. 1541): daughter of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence; beheaded. See DNB.

  Saxe-Coburg, see Leopold, Prince of Saxe-Coburg.

  Scarlett, James (1769–1844): first Baron Abinger and Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer. Began his political career as a Whig but took office under Canning and then Wellington. He developed a particular interest in the poor rates, introducing bills in 1821 and 1822 that would have capped spending on poor relief. Cobbett attacked his proposals ferociously in the pages of the Political Register.

  Scot: see Scott, James.

  Scott, James: owner of brickworks who did well in the wars and purchased Rotherfield Park in Hampshire. Cobbett mistakenly referred to his home as Rotherham Park. See Cole, RR, vol. Ill, p. 1028.

  Scott, Sir Walter (1771–1832): poet and novelist. Cobbett disliked his ‘soft balderdash’ and referred to him as ‘the paper-money poet’ for his defence of the small bank notes of Scotland.

  Scott, Sir William (1745–1836): of Stowell Park in Gloucestershire; classical scholar who represented the University of Oxford for a time. He opposed political reform and defended non-residency in a ‘parson-praising’ speech of 1802. See Cole, RR, vol. Ill, p. 1028.

  Scudamores: old Herefordshire family. See Cole, RR, vol. Ill, p. 1028; DNB.

  Sebright, Sir John Saunders (1767–1846): Whig MP for Hertfordshire (1807–32). He was an improving landholder and earned some praise from Cobbett for his political views.

  Sedgwick, James (1775–1851): writer on legal and political subjects.

  Selsey, Henry John Peachey (1787–1838): third Baron Selsey; estate owner at West Dean in Sussex.

  Shakespeare, William (1564–1616): playwright; see Ireland, William.

  Sheppard, Edward: former owner of estate at Gatcombe Park.

  Sheriff: see Shirreff, Admiral William. Shirreff, Admiral William (1785–1847): succeeded to an estate at Old Alresford that was formerly held by the Gage family.

  Sidmouth, Henry Addington (1757–1844): first Viscount, sometimes called the ‘Doctor’by Cobbett. As Home Secretary between 1812 and 1821, he designed numerous measures to repress radical reform in England, most notably the ‘Gagging Bills’ of 1817 and the Six Acts of 1819. Only Castlereagh might have been more hated by Radical reformers. For Sidmouth’s son, see Addington, Henry.

  Sinclair, Sir John (1754–1835): first president of the Board of Agriculture and a tireless promoter of enclosure and other varieties of agricultural ‘improvement’. He was adept at collecting statistics, especially regarding the economy of Scotland.

  Singleton, John (d. 1852): poacher. Cobbett’s story is about all that is known of Singleton. Apparently he was allowed to return to England after eighteen years. See Cole, RR, vol. Ill, p. 1031.

  Smallpiece: Guildford area family that traded in livestock.

  Smith, Mr: farmer of Ashendon in Buckinghamshire (p. 103).

  Smith, Adam (1723–90): the political economist. Cobbett would have found much in Smith to praise had he taken more time to study the Wealth of Nations (1776).

  Smith, ‘Bott’: see Smith, Egerton.

  Smith, Charles (d. 1822): poacher who was hanged for shooting at Lord Palmerston’s gamekeeper.

  Smith, Egerton (1774–1841): ‘Bott’ Smith to Cobbett. He was editor of the Liverpool Mercury–a pro-reform, radical Whig voice. Cobbett and Smith actually agreed on a variety of issues, but there was a great deal of personal enmity between them, chiefly because Smith sided with Burden, whom Cobbett loathed.

  Smith, Thomas Assheton (1752–1828): of Ted worth in Hampshire.

  Smith, Thomas Assheton (1776–1858): of Tedworth in Hampshire, MP for Andover (1820–31) and for Caernarvonshire (1832–41). He was strongly opposed to reform and the Reform Bill. He was a skilled boxer and cricketer. See DNB; Cole, RR, vol. Ill, p. 1032.

  Snelgrove, Robert: assistant gamekeeper on Lord Palmerston’s estate at Romsey. He was shot and wounded by a poacher named Charles Smith, who was tried by Sir James Burrough and hanged. Cobbett believed that it was the severity of the game laws that caused poachers to take such violent action to avoid arrest, and that modification of the laws could prevent such incidents. For a detailed account of the case, see Harry Hopkins, The Long Affray: The Poaching Wars in Britain (London, 1986).

  Snip: see Maberley, John.

  Somers, John Somers Cocks (1760–1841): first Baron; of Reigate, Surrey and Eastnor Castle, Herefordshire.

  Spain, Ferdinand VII, King of (1784–1833): reactionary monarch who was captured by liberal insurgents in 1820. In 1823 the Metternich-inspired French invaded Spain and restored Ferdinand to power. Canning’s protest took the form of British recognition of the independence of some of Spain’s ‘new world’ colonies. Ferdinand aimed to improve Spanish agriculture, and Cobbett did not object to some of his ideas in this way.

  Spicer, John (d. 1831): stockbroker of Esher Place, Surrey.

  Spooner, Richard (1783–1864): banker, briefly Whig and then Tory MP.

  Springett, Robert: hop-grower near Goudhurst.

  Stanley, Edward George Geoffrey Smith (1799–1869): fourteenth Earl of Derby, the Victorian Prime Minister. He defeated Cobbett at the violent and raucous election at Preston in 1826, though was roughed up, and allegedly spat upon, by an angry crowd. See Spater, William Cobbett, vol. II, pp. 458–63. See Wood, John.

  Steere, Lee (d. 1832): landowner of Ockley in Surrey.

  Stewart, Daniel: see Stuart, Daniel.

  Storks, Henry (1778–1866): barrister and Chief Justice of the Isle of Ely.

  Stovell, Mr. Cobbett means William Stoveld of Stedman Hall, Sussex. See Cole, RR, vol. Ill, p. 1034.

  Stowell, Lord: see Scott, Sir William.

  Street, Peter: editor of the Courier newspaper for a time — a pro-Pitt organ that fiercely attacked Cobbett and other Radicals.

  Stuart, Daniel (1766–1846): journalist; owner of the Courier (1796–1822). He turned it from a Whig to a pro-Pitt paper. See Street, Peter.

  Stuart, Lady Henry (d. 1809): wife of Lord Henry Stuart.

  Stuart, Lord Henry (1777–1809): of Alresford, Hampshire. Cobbett met him during his first stay in America when Stuart worked in the British Embassy to the United States. Lord Henry and his wife died young.

  Sturges, Dr John (1736–1807): prebendary of Winchester who in 1800 took a critical stand against the Roman Catholic religion. He was promptly rebutted in ‘Letters to a Prebendary’ by the Catholic priest Dr John Milner, vicar-apostolic of western England.

  Sturges Bourne, William (1769–1845): MP for several constituencies from 1798 to 1831. He sat on the Hampshire Special Commission which tried the Swing rioters of that county, and was author of the three ‘Sturges Bourne Bills’. The legislation that he initiated was responsible for increasing the control of rate-payers over vestry decisions. He also promoted the much-hated salaried overseer that contributed to the labourers’ rising of 1830–31.

  Suffield, Edward Harbord (1781–1835): third Baron, of Gunton Park, Norfolk. He was a reformer who sought to improve the lot of agricultural workers by promoting allotments, especially in the wake of the rural revolt of 1830–31. Cobbett disliked him because he did not sup
port Cobbett’s agricultural petitions.

  Sumner, George Holme (1760–1838): of Hatchlands, East Clandon, Surrey. Tory MP for Surrey from 1807 to 1826. He was defeated in that year by John Leech, who was more to Cobbett’s liking as an MP, though Cobbett would have dearly loved the seat for himself.

  Sutton, Mr: innkeeper at Andover.

  Swann, Joseph: of Macclesfield, a determined reformer who opted for prison rather than surrender his right to free speech. See Cole, RR, vol. Ill, p. 1036.

  Swift, Jonathan (1667–1745): Cobbett liked Swift, partly because he had lived near Farnham for a time (on Sir William Temple’s estate at Moore Park) and because one of the first books that Cobbett read was Swift’s Tale of a Tub.

  Swithin, Saint (d. 862): Bishop of Winchester who is associated with many legends and miracles. He was sometimes called the ‘weeping St Swithin’, and it was thought that rainy constellations would appear during his feast day of 15 July. There was also a belief that ‘if it rain on St Swithin’s Day, there will be rain more or less for forty-five succeeding days’. See W. C. Hazlitt, Dictionary of Faiths and Folklore (London, 1905), pp. 576–7.

  Taylor, George Watson (d. 1841): MP for several constituencies and a renowned boroughmonger.

  Taylor, John (d. 1850): Whig banker of Birmingham.

  Taylor, Michael Angelo (1757–1834): MP for Preston and several other constituencies. He focused upon London government and assorted metropolitan issues.

  Temple, Lady: Cobbett might have had in mind the granddaughter of Sir William Temple.

  Temple, Sir William (1628–99): statesman whose home was at Moore Park, near Farnham.

  ‘Thimble, Peter’: see Place, Francis.

  Thomas à Becket (d. 1170): Archbishop of Canterbury.

  Thompson, Mr: see Thomson, Charles Edward Poulett.

  Thomson, Charles Edward Poulett (1799–1841): first Baron Sydenham. He began his career as a merchant in Russia and London but developed an interest in political and economic questions, and began mingling with Bentham and other Utilitarians. He was elected MP for Dover and then for Manchester before becoming Governor-General of Canada. See DNB.

  Thomson, John Buncombe Poulett (d. 1839): merchant of Waverley Abbey, near Wimbledon.

  Thornton, Sir Edward (d. 1852): diplomat who served from 1796 to 1800 as secretary to the British Embassy in the United States. Cobbett, then resident in America, had a lengthy correspondence with Thornton during these years. See G. D. H. Cole (ed.), Letters from William Cobbett to Edward Thornton (London, 1937).

  Thurtell, John (1794–1824): failed manufacturer who took to prize-fighting and gambling. He murdered William Weare (to whom he owed money) and was tried and hanged, despite conducting his own spirited defence. See Cole, RR, vol. Ill, p. 1039; DNB.

  Thwaites, John Alexander (1786–1844): proprietor of the Morning Herald, a sensational paper that devoted sufficient space to politics to maintain a running battle with Cobbett.

  Tichborne, Sir Henry Joseph (1779–1845): of Tichborne Park in Hampshire. It was his grandson whose apparent disappearance gave some credence to the celebrated ‘Tichborne’ claimant.

  Tierney, George (1761–1830): leader of the Whig opposition in the House of Commons after the withdrawal of the ‘Foxites’ in 1798. He served in the Ministry of All the Talents before returning to Her Majesty’s Opposition. He later held minor ministerial office under Canning.

  Tinkler, William (1781–1815): wealthy powder-maker of Chilworth, Surrey.

  Titchbourne: see Tichborne, Sir Henry Joseph.

  Tomline, Sir George Pretyman (1750–1827): Bishop of Winchester and tutor and special assistant to the younger Pitt, whom he advised on political, financial and ecclesiastical matters. See DNB.

  Tooke, John Home (1736–1812): clergyman and political Radical who associated with Wilkes and later Major Cartwright. He was charged in the ‘treason’ trials of 1794 with being a member of the Constitutional Society. He conducted his own defence and earned an acquittal, which gravely embarrassed the government. He was elected to the House of Commons in 1801 for the borough of Old Sarum (see Camelford, Lord), but as Cobbett points out in the text, a Bill was soon passed that declared clerics ineligible for seats in the Commons.

  Tooke, Thomas (1774–1858): economist and supporter of Peel’s Bill of 1819.

  Torrington, George Byng (1768–1831): sixth Viscount; Vice-Admiral of the Blue. He had seats in Kent at Yates Court and Godden Green. See Cole, RR, vol. Ill, p. 1040.

  Tripp, the Rev. James: parson at Upwaltham in Sussex.

  Tubb, Benjamin: of Shillingford, Oxfordshire; friend of Cobbett’s.

  Tucky, Mr: hosted Cobbett during one of his rides.

  Tull, Jethro (1674–1741): inventor of the ‘drill husbandry’ which enabled seeds to be planted deeply into newly turned and aerated soil. Cobbett employed the method himself and published an edition of Tull’s Horse-Hoeing Husbandry (1731; Cobbett’s edn., 1822). Tull conducted his experiments at ‘Prosperous’ farm in Berkshire.

  Turner, James (d. 1822): poacher, hanged at Winchester for shooting and killing Robert Baker, gamekeeper to Thomas Assheton Smith. See Snelgrove, Robert and Smith, Charles.

  Twyford, Samuel: landowner of Midhurst, Sussex.

  Van: see Vansittart, Nicholas.

  Vansittart, Nicholas (1766–1851): first Baron Bexley. His pamphlets in defence of Pitt’s financial policies brought him to the attention of the government. As Chancellor of the Exchequer (1812–23), he supported a return to cash payments (though modified by the continued issue of small notes). Cobbett mocked him mercilessly.

  Verulam, James Walter G rims ton (1775–1845): first Earl; Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire.

  Voke, Samuel: a fanner’s son who was hanged for injuring a gamekeeper. See Turner, James and Smith, Charles.

  Waddington, Samuel Ferrand (d. 1851): Kentish hop-dealer of republican sympathies. See Cole, RR, vol. Ill, p. 1042.

  Waithman, Robert (1764–1833): MP for London, Sheriff of London and finally Lord Mayor. He was a radical reformer but Cobbett was not always happy with his ideas on the governance of the ‘Wen’.

  Walker: see Waller, William.

  Wallaces: Cobbett probably had in mind Thomas Wallace (1768–1844) who held various government offices under Peel and Liverpool. See Cole, RR, vol. Ill, p. 1043.

  Waller, William: of Elverton form, near Faversham, Kent. He was a friend of Cobbett’s who followed his agricultural advice.

  Walter, John (1776–1847): son of the founder of The Times. He managed the newspaper from 1803 and became sole editor in 1810. Cobbett referred to Walter’s paper as ‘the bloody old Times’, adding that he used it to wrap the lunches of his workers. See also Brodie, Anna.

  Ward, Robert Plumer (1765–1846): novelist, supporter of Pitt and MP for Haslemere (1807–23). See Cole, RR, vol. Ill, p. 1044.

  Warner, James (1758–1843): of Botley, Hampshire. His family had long been Lords of the Manor at Botley. He married Cobbett’s sister-in-law, Eleanor Reid. See Spater, William Cobbett, vol. II, p. 569, n. 19.

  Watson, Joshua (1771–1855): High Church publicist who evangelized the poor through the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, of which he was treasurer. See DNB; Cole, RR, vol. Ill, p. 1044.

  Weatherstone, George: political activist in Southwark.

  Wellesleys: family of diplomats, ambassadors and warriors. Cobbett disliked them all.

  Wellesley, Arthur (1769–1852), Duke of Wellington: As Prime Minister in 1829–30 he disgraced himself by stating that reform would never come to Britain with him at the helm. Wellington is best known for his military exploits against Napoleon, for which he received the estate of Strathfieldsaye in Hampshire from a ‘grateful nation’.

  Wellington, Duke of: see Wellesley, Arthur.

  West, William: Farnham area farmer and friend of Cobbett’s.

  Western, Charles Callis (1767–1844): first Baron Western. ‘Squire Western’, as Cobbett called him, was a prominent Essex landowner an
d noted agricultural improver who served as an MP (1790–1832). He favoured paper money and agricultural protection–neither of which positions endeared him to Cobbett.

  Weston, Mr: estate owner and neighbour of Mr Webbe Weston in Surrey.

  Weston, John Webbe (1784–1840): landowner of Sutton Place, Surrey. Cobbett saw him as a supporter of Pitt and of agricultural protection.

  Wetherspoon: see Weatherstone, George.

  Whitbread, Samuel (1758–1815): of the brewing family; Whig MP from 1790. He promoted parliamentary reform even in the dark days of Pitt’s repression, and in 1795 came forward with a proposal for a minimum wage for labourers. His proposal for Poor Law reform was defeated in 1807, which pleased Cobbett.

  Whitbread, Samuel Charles (1796–1879) and William (1795–1867): sons of Samuel.

  White, Benjamin (1725–94): London publisher and brother of Gilbert White, the naturalist.

  White, Gilbert (1720–93): curate and naturalist who wrote the celebrated Natural History of Selborne (1789). Cobbett liked the book, especially because of its observation that the church at Selborne was larger than was necessary to support the local population, which he took as commendation for his thesis that the population of rural England was in decline.

  Whitelocke, General John (1757–1833): chiefly known as commander of the expedition to recover Buenos Aires in 1807.

  Wilberforce, William (1759–1833): despite his reputation as the great enemy of slavery, Wilberforce was a strong supporter of repression at home–and Cobbett hated him for it. He supported the Combination Acts of 1799 and lined up quickly behind the ‘Gagging Bills’ of 1817 and the Six Acts of 1819.

  Wilbraham, Edward Bootle (1771–1853): a large Lancashire landowner. See Cole, RR, vol. Ill, p. 1047.

  Wilding, Mr: of Preston, who impressed Cobbett by doing a walking tour of France.

  William I (d. 1087): King of England.

  William II (d. 1100): King of England. Nicknamed ‘William Rufus’.

  William of Malmesbury (d. c. 1140): historian and librarian at Malmesbury Abbey.

  Willis: see Fleming, John Barton Willis.