Charles Southwell
Encyclopedia
Charles Southwell was a radical English
journalist and freethinker
.
, the youngest of 33 children in a poor family. His father, William, was a piano maker who had married three times. His mother, Fanny (William's third wife), was William's ex-servant, and at least three decades younger than him. Charles was Fanny's only child. A difficult pupil , but well-read, Southwell left school at the age of twelve (his father died in 1825 or 1826 ) and got work in a piano factory. It was while working at Broadwood and Sons
that Southwell, encouraged by a Christian colleague, read the Sermons of Timothy Dwight and began thinking seriously about religion, only to reject it (as had his father).
, London, and joined the radical lecture circuit.
Southwell married Mary Seaford in 1832, but the relationship was a troubled one. On Mary's death c.1835, Southwell witnessed the surgical removal of her heart, as Mary had requested.
In 1835 he fought as a mercenary
with the British Legion
(part of the Spanish Legion) during the First Carlist War
. Returning in poverty-stricken state a couple of years later, he again found employment at Broadwoods. But he also became more involved in radicalism.
Although he had been a radical bookseller, it was not until Southwell's return from Spain that he became more deeply involved in Robert Owen
's socialist
movement. He was confirmed as an Owenite
"socialist missionary" by the Association of All Classes of All Nations in 1840, and worked in that capacity in London and Birmingham
.
, the Rev. J.W. Kidd took legal action against the Hall of Science near his church. The Owenite missionary, Robert Buchanan consequently took the dissenter's oath . The Central Board of Owen's Universal Community Society was in favour of taking the oath, and of moderating anti-religious activity, and other lecturers followed Buchanan. But others, including Charles Southwell, refused, and resigned their positions .
According to Royle (1976, p. 42):
With William Chilton
, Southwell opened a freethought
bookshop in Bristol
in late 1841, and with Chilton and John Field he launched the confrontationally atheistic Oracle of Reason
. He was arrested for blasphemy
(see the Oracle of Reason
entry for the story) on 27 November 1841, spending 17 days in gaol awaiting bail. He faced trial in January 1842, and defended himself. Found guilty, Southwell was fined £100, and sentenced to twelve months in prison. On his release, Southwell discovered that the Oracle, after a succession of editors had been imprisoned, was struggling financially, so he began his own journal, the (more moderate) Investigator . It survived for seven months. After a lecture tour and a spell as a well-reviewed Shakespearean
actor, Southwell launched the Lancashire Beacon in 1849, which also failed to last a full year . It closed in 1850.
Southwell subsequently left the country.
to Australia
in April 1855, moving to Auckland
, New Zealand
, in 1856. His emigration was unexpected and sudden , but should be seen in the context of his being disinherited, and difficult relations with Holyoake .
Arriving in Melbourne
in July 1855, Southwell initially sought to make his living as a lecturer (avoiding the subject of religion, since few people in Australia knew his background). But when he tried to run for office, his blasphemous past was used against him, and he lost. He supported himself as a touring actor, and it seems that when his group performed in New Zealand in January 1856 , Southwell decided to move to Auckland, where, as Cooke (2006) observes, he was "the first acknowledged freethinker to appear on New Zealand shores".
In New Zealand, Southwell lectured against the Russia
n cause in the Crimean War
and published the anti-corruption Auckland Examiner . It was closed by an ailing and penniless Southwell in July 1860, just two weeks before his death .
Charles Southwell was buried in Auckland's Symonds Street Cemetery
.
of unbelief Gordon Stein summarised Southwell's significance in the history of freethought as follows:
The New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists
commemorated Southwell by naming the "Charles Southwell Award" after him. It was first awarded in 1998 http://www.nzarh.org.nz/awards.htm.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
journalist and freethinker
Freethought
Freethought is a philosophical viewpoint that holds that opinions should be formed on the basis of science, logic, and reason, and should not be influenced by authority, tradition, or other dogmas...
.
Early life
Charles Southwell was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the youngest of 33 children in a poor family. His father, William, was a piano maker who had married three times. His mother, Fanny (William's third wife), was William's ex-servant, and at least three decades younger than him. Charles was Fanny's only child. A difficult pupil , but well-read, Southwell left school at the age of twelve (his father died in 1825 or 1826 ) and got work in a piano factory. It was while working at Broadwood and Sons
Broadwood and Sons
Broadwood and Sons is an English piano manufacturer, founded in 1728 by Burkat Shudi and continued after his death in 1773 by John Broadwood.- Early history :...
that Southwell, encouraged by a Christian colleague, read the Sermons of Timothy Dwight and began thinking seriously about religion, only to reject it (as had his father).
Radical career
In 1830, Southwell set up as a radical bookseller in WestminsterWestminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
, London, and joined the radical lecture circuit.
Southwell married Mary Seaford in 1832, but the relationship was a troubled one. On Mary's death c.1835, Southwell witnessed the surgical removal of her heart, as Mary had requested.
In 1835 he fought as a mercenary
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
with the British Legion
British Legion (1835)
The Auxiliary Legion or the British Legion of the Spanish Legion existed from 1835 to 1837. It was a British military force sent to Spain to support the Liberals and Queen Isabella II of Spain against the Carlists in the First Carlist War.-History:Under the Quadruple Alliance Great Britain had...
(part of the Spanish Legion) during the First Carlist War
First Carlist War
The First Carlist War was a civil war in Spain from 1833-1839.-Historical background:At the beginning of the 18th century, Philip V, the first Bourbon king of Spain, promulgated the Salic Law, which declared illegal the inheritance of the Spanish crown by women...
. Returning in poverty-stricken state a couple of years later, he again found employment at Broadwoods. But he also became more involved in radicalism.
Although he had been a radical bookseller, it was not until Southwell's return from Spain that he became more deeply involved in Robert Owen
Robert Owen
Robert Owen was a Welsh social reformer and one of the founders of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement.Owen's philosophy was based on three intellectual pillars:...
's socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
movement. He was confirmed as an Owenite
Owenism
Owenism is the utopian socialist philosophy of 19th century social reformer Robert Owen and his followers and successors, who are known as Owenites....
"socialist missionary" by the Association of All Classes of All Nations in 1840, and worked in that capacity in London and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
.
The Oracle of Reason
In 1841, a group of "socialist missionaries" split from Robert Owen, partly over the issue of whether socialist lecturers should take the oath usually taken by dissenting ministers. Clerical opponents of Owenism were threatening to use the law to prevent money being taken at meetings on Sundays. Only religious bodies were permitted to do so. Owenite lecturers were either to stop collecting money on Sundays, or make a public profession of adherence to Christianity. In Campfield, ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, the Rev. J.W. Kidd took legal action against the Hall of Science near his church. The Owenite missionary, Robert Buchanan consequently took the dissenter's oath . The Central Board of Owen's Universal Community Society was in favour of taking the oath, and of moderating anti-religious activity, and other lecturers followed Buchanan. But others, including Charles Southwell, refused, and resigned their positions .
According to Royle (1976, p. 42):
Charles Southwell... was not prepared to see the anti-theological side of Owenism played down by hypocrites on the Universal Community Society central board. He had entered the Owenite movement through the Lambeth branch after he had made a reputation for himself as an anti-theological lecturer on Kennington Common. He firmly believed, and many Owenites shared his view, that religion must be destroyed if truth were to preval: freethought was therefore the necessary prerequisite for socialism, and neutrality on religious issues was impossible.
With William Chilton
William Chilton (printer)
William Chilton , was a printer, Owenite Socialist, evolutionist, and co-founder with Charles Southwell of The Oracle of Reason, which claimed to be the world's first avowedly atheist journal.-Life:...
, Southwell opened a freethought
Freethought
Freethought is a philosophical viewpoint that holds that opinions should be formed on the basis of science, logic, and reason, and should not be influenced by authority, tradition, or other dogmas...
bookshop in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
in late 1841, and with Chilton and John Field he launched the confrontationally atheistic Oracle of Reason
The Oracle of Reason
The Oracle of Reason, or Philosophy Vindicated was the first avowedly atheistic periodical to be published in Britain . It was founded by Charles Southwell, William Chilton and John Field in 1841 , and lasted until 1843.-History:...
. He was arrested for blasphemy
Blasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
(see the Oracle of Reason
The Oracle of Reason
The Oracle of Reason, or Philosophy Vindicated was the first avowedly atheistic periodical to be published in Britain . It was founded by Charles Southwell, William Chilton and John Field in 1841 , and lasted until 1843.-History:...
entry for the story) on 27 November 1841, spending 17 days in gaol awaiting bail. He faced trial in January 1842, and defended himself. Found guilty, Southwell was fined £100, and sentenced to twelve months in prison. On his release, Southwell discovered that the Oracle, after a succession of editors had been imprisoned, was struggling financially, so he began his own journal, the (more moderate) Investigator . It survived for seven months. After a lecture tour and a spell as a well-reviewed Shakespearean
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
actor, Southwell launched the Lancashire Beacon in 1849, which also failed to last a full year . It closed in 1850.
Southwell subsequently left the country.
Australia and New Zealand
Southwell emigratedEmigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in April 1855, moving to Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, in 1856. His emigration was unexpected and sudden , but should be seen in the context of his being disinherited, and difficult relations with Holyoake .
Arriving in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in July 1855, Southwell initially sought to make his living as a lecturer (avoiding the subject of religion, since few people in Australia knew his background). But when he tried to run for office, his blasphemous past was used against him, and he lost. He supported himself as a touring actor, and it seems that when his group performed in New Zealand in January 1856 , Southwell decided to move to Auckland, where, as Cooke (2006) observes, he was "the first acknowledged freethinker to appear on New Zealand shores".
In New Zealand, Southwell lectured against the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n cause in the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
and published the anti-corruption Auckland Examiner . It was closed by an ailing and penniless Southwell in July 1860, just two weeks before his death .
Charles Southwell was buried in Auckland's Symonds Street Cemetery
Symonds Street Cemetery
Symonds Street Cemetery is a historic cemetery and park in central Auckland, New Zealand. It is in 5.8 hectares of deciduous forest on the western slope of Grafton Gully, by the corner of Symonds Street and Karangahape Road, and is crossed by the Grafton Bridge...
.
Southwell's legacy
The EncyclopedistEncyclopedia
An encyclopedia is a type of reference work, a compendium holding a summary of information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge....
of unbelief Gordon Stein summarised Southwell's significance in the history of freethought as follows:
Southwell's importance was largely as a publisher. He was responsible for reviving the wave of blasphemy prosecutions that occurred during the early 1840s, and his conduct in publishing the Oracle of Reason was largely responsible for moving the freethought movement into a more open and defiant atheistic phase.
The New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists
New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists
New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists is an organisation, established in 1927 in New Zealand for the promotion of rationalism and secular humanism.The principal aims are stated as:...
commemorated Southwell by naming the "Charles Southwell Award" after him. It was first awarded in 1998 http://www.nzarh.org.nz/awards.htm.
Writings
- An Apology for Atheism. (1846) Available from Project Gutenberg
- Superstition Unveiled. (1854) Available from Project Gutenberg