LOVETT, William, 1800-1877, chartist

Two manuscript texts, with a preface in a different hand (probably Lovett) addressed 'to my working class brethren', comprising A Petition for Universal Suffrage, No Property Qualifications, Annual Parliaments, Equal Representation, Payment of Members, and Vote by Ballot. Addressed to the House of Commons, 'agreed to at a public meeting held at the Crown and Anchor, Strand, 28 February 1837 ', and Letter from the Permanent and Central Committee of Montreal to the London Working Man's Association. Expressing solidarity with their fellows and desire to uphold principles of democracy in the old world and the new .

Born in Cornwall in 1800; migrated to London, 1821, where he worked as a cabinet maker; Member, later President, Cabinet Makers Society; Storekeeper to the first London Cooperative Trading Society; Secretary, British Association for Promoting Co-operative Knowledge, 1830; Member, Grand National Consolidated Trades Union; arrested and tried for rioting, 1832; helped found the London Working Man's Association, 1836, and played a large part in their drafting of the People's Charter in 1838; arrested for his manifesto against the police, tried, and imprisoned in Warwick jail, 1839-1840; opened a bookseller's shop, and published Chartism; a new Organisation of the People , on the organisation of the Chartist party (1841); established the national Association for promoting the Political and Social Improvement of the People, 1841; member of the council of the Anti-Slavery League, 1846; published textbooks on elementary science after 1857; died 1877.

As given in the Scope and Content.

Open.

Transferred from the Main Library in 1940.

No further list required.

Sources: Dictionary of National Biography; Historical Manuscripts Commission National Register of Archives. Compiled by Sarah Aitchison as part of the RSLP AIM25 project.

No copyright restrictions.

Also known as R 0223.

Birmingham City Archives holds correspondence and papers, [1836-1850] (Ref: MS 753); the British Library, London, holds correspondence and papers regarding the Chartist National Convention, 1839 (Ref: Add MS 34245), minutes of the Working Men's Association, 1836-1847 (Ref: Add MS 377773-76), and correspondence with Francis Place, 1834-1841 (Ref: Add MS 35149-51).