Next week, in the run-up to Chartism Day 2023, the History Department at Reading will be celebrating all things Chartist. Here, to get Chartist Week underway, and to fill in any gaps in your knowledge, the Department’s very own Professor David Stack answers some key questions about Chartism.

What was Chartism?

Chartism was a political movement, most active between 1838 and 1848, which demanded electoral reform and a widening of the franchise.

Why was it called Chartism?

Chartism took its name from a document called ‘The People’s Charter’, produced by the London Working Men’s Association in 1838. The Charter consisted of the famous ‘Six Points’.

These were:

• Universal Suffrage (later changed to manhood)
• No Property Qualification (for MPs)
• Annual Parliaments
• Equal Representation (i.e. constituencies of comparable size)
• Payment of MPs
• Vote by Secret Ballot

Why were these demands deemed necessary?

Britain was not a democratic society in 1838: only one in seven men (and no women) had the vote; only rich men could afford to be MPs; constituency boundaries were drawn in such a way as to advantage the rural south and minimise representation from the industrialising and urban north; and public voting, without a secret ballot, meant that even those who could vote were often subjected to pressure and intimidation.

Was the Charter popular?

The Charter proved extremely popular. The London Working Men’s Association distributed copies to small radical groups around Britain, who organised petitions in support of the Six Points. By 1839 1.25 million people had pledged their support. A second petition in 1842 petition proved even more popular, with an estimated 3.3 million signatures. The third and final mass petition, in 1848, was bigger still, with the Chartists claiming six million signatories.

What happened to the petitions?

The petitions were taken to Parliament. The first was rejected by the House of Commons, by 235 votes to 46; the second was rejected, 287 votes to 67; the third was never even put to a vote. The petitions were destroyed, so historians are unable to consult and analyse these documents.

Each time the petitions failed – in 1839, 1842, and 1848 – Chartist delegates from around Britain were meeting in a National Convention to decide what to do next. On each occasion this proved to be a moment of division, with some within the movement advocating violence. All the main Chartist leaders were imprisoned at one time or another, and this use of force and coercion against campaigners for democracy is a shameful part of the story of British history.

Why was Chartism so popular?

Partly because it made basic democratic demands, but it must be said that these demands were not new. All six points of the People’s Charter can be found in older radical documents, such as Major Cartwright’s Take Your Choice! (1776), which dated back to the time of American War of Independence. What gave the Chartist demands such resonance in the 1830s and 1840s was a sense of betrayal by the Whig governments of 1830-1834 and 1835-1841 – who had granted a very limited franchise extension and introduced the hated New Poor Law – combined with the increasingly harsh economic conditions that were driving down living standards and ushering in the era known as ‘the hungry forties’. Chartism was, as one of its leaders put it, always ‘a knife and fork question’ and ‘a bread and cheese question’, as well as a political one.

Who were the Chartists?

There were many famous Chartist leaders, including William Lovett (1800-1877), who helped draft the People’s Charter; James ‘Bronterre’ O’Brien (1805-1864), the leading intellectual of the movement; Feargus O’Connor (1796-1855), a charismatic orator, who dedicated himself to the cause; and Ernest Jones (1819-1869), a poet who befriended Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.

But the real heroes of Chartism were the ordinary men and women who came together in support of the People’s Charter, and who joined the National Charter Association.

Before Chartism, radical politics had been dominated by the artisan class: skilled workmen in established, apprenticed trades, and often focused on London. What was different about Chartism was that it quickly outgrew its origins and became a national movement of the whole working class, including unskilled workers in the new industries of Yorkshire and Lancashire, and with enthusiastic followings in south Wales, Scotland, and the North East of England.

How did the Chartists campaign?

The Chartist campaigns brought together established methods with new, innovative practices. The idea of petitioning for a charter was a self-conscious echo of Magna Carta (1215) and the Bill of Rights (1689), and the use of Chartist lecturers drew upon the itinerant preacher tradition. What was new were the mass meetings – ‘monster meetings’ as they came to be known – which drew together thousands; a national newspaper, The Northern Star, which kept local branches connected; and the world’s first mass membership organisation, the National Charter Association, founded in 1840,

Did Chartism fail?

None of the Six Points were achieved within the lifetime of the Chartist movement, although five of the six points had been achieved by 1918. (We still do not have Annual Parliaments, but the length of parliamentary terms was reduced from seven years to five years in the 1911 Parliament Act.)

Beyond the failure to achieve the Six Points, however, it is possible to argue that there were broader successes for the movement. The actions of the Peel government (1841-1846), culminating in the repeal of the Corn Laws, might be read as a response to the horrendous conditions highlighted by Chartism. More convincingly, historians such as Edward Royle and Malcolm Chase have emphasised the success of Chartism as a lived experience that gave pride, purpose, and dignity to men, women, and families living through a period of penury, poverty, and suffering.

What happened to the Chartists after 1848?

The National Charter Association continued in existence until 1858, and it was a sign of the enduring appeal of the movement that an estimated 50,000 people attended the funeral of Feargus O’Connor at Kensal Green in London on 10 September 1855.

Many Chartists remained active in the parliamentary reform movement, contributing to the agitation that led up to the Second Reform Act in 1867. Others worked in the incipient trade union and socialist movements, and many of the more disillusioned (or hopeful) emigrated to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the USA, where they often took leading roles in founding labour organisations in those countries.

The last known Chartist was Henry S. Clubb (1827-1921) from Colchester, who emigrated to the US, survived being shot at the Siege of Vicksburg (1863), where he fought for the Union Army, went on to become a Michigan State Senator, and was the founder of the Vegetarian Society of America.

Where can I find out more about Chartism?

There are many excellent resources about Chartism available. One of the best, and most accessible, is the Chartist Ancestors website.

In addition, throughout Chartism Week you can contact us with your questions about Chartism and we will attempt to answer them.

---

David Stack is a Professor of History at the University of Reading, specialising in the inter-relationship of ideas and politics in the history of Britain and beyond.

All comments and opinions presented in this article are that of the author.

We have made every effort to abide by UK copyright law but in the instance of any mislabelling of images, please contact the author of the blog post