William Cobbett

William Cobbett (March 9, 1763 – June 18, 1835) was a radical agriculturist and prolific journalist. He was born at Farnham, Surrey. He thought that the reform of Parliament and the abolition of the rotten boroughs would help cure the poverty of the farm labourers. Cobbett constantly attacked the borough-mongers, sinecurists and tax-eaters. He opposed the Corn Laws, a tax on imported grain. Through the many apparent inconsistencies in Cobbett's life, one strand continued to run: an ingrained opposition to authority and a suspicion of novelty. Early in his career, he was a "loyalist" supporter of King and Country; later, he joined (and arguably helped inspire) the burgeoning radical movement. One particularly "seditious" rhyme attributed to Cobbett was:

United States (1817-1819)

Following the passage of the Power of Imprisonment Bill in 1817, and fearing arrest for his arguably seditious writings, he fled to the United States. On Wednesday 27 March 1817 at Liverpool he embarked on board the ship IMPORTER, D. Ogden master, bound for New York, accompanied by his two eldest sons, William and John.

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1817 - 27 March - Liverpool

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A plan to return to England with Thomas Paine's remains for a proper burial led to the loss of his predecessor's remains (the full story is in the Biography linked below). Cobbett arrived back at Liverpool by ship in November 1819.

Related Topics:
Thomas Paine - 1819

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