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Popular culture and public debate: London 1780*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2009

Donna T. Andrew
Donna T. Andrew
Affiliation:
University of Guelph, Ontario
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Abstract

This paper examines an important and rather neglected forum for popular discussion – the debating society – in London in 1780. This was the first full year that debating societies left their semi-private, club-like sites and took to new rooms, all across the metropolitan area. These new venues were large (seating between 400 and 1200) commercial settings, where men and women could come to speak and to listen, to enjoy an evening of rational entertainment at a small price. Using the many daily London newspapers as its main source, this essay examines the audiences present at these debates, the types of questions asked and the nature of the responses, when known, and surveys the wide range of reactions to such activity. Finally, it suggests some explanations for and evaluations of the growth and decline of this important cultural form.

Type
Articles
Information
The Historical Journal , Volume 39 , Issue 2 , June 1996 , pp. 405 - 423
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

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References

1 For a more detailed account of the many advertisements for 1780, as well as for the four years preceding and nineteen years following it, see London debating societies (London, 1994)Google Scholar, compiled and edited by Donna T. Andrew.

2 The history of the Robin Hood Society (London, 1764), p. XGoogle Scholar. See the proposal for the establishment of such a mooting club in The Morning Post, 7 Oct. 1780 [unless otherwise noted, only the day and month of citations of 1780 will be mentioned]. In his memoirs, recalling his own debut as an orator at the Coachmaker's Hall, James Stephen noted that it had been the school of Garrow, and Erskine, , The memoirs of James Stephen (London, 1954), p. 275Google Scholar. For more on Macklin, see Appleton, W. W., Charles Macklin (Cambridge, Mass., 1960) pp. 100–1CrossRefGoogle Scholar. Frances Burney was accused of belonging to a spouting club, Diary and letters of Madame D'Arblay (London, 1854, 7 vols.), I, 103Google Scholar. They were satirized in Arthur Murphy's Apprentice of 1756; for Henley see Appleton, , Charles Macklin, p. 101Google Scholar and Graham, Midgley, The life of Orator Henley (Oxford, 1973)Google Scholar. The Temple of Taste in The Daily Advertiser 26 Feb. 1752. The Morning Chronicle of 29 Jan. described the radical cleric Dr Richard Price as ‘the fiery orator of the Haymarket Forum’.

3 On Sheridan, see Benzie, W, The Dublin orator (Leeds, 1972)Google Scholar. John Collins was giving lectures on oratory in 1775, sec Gazetteer 15 Mar. 1775, for example. Rice gave advertised lessons at his home in 1781 (Morning Chronicle 22 Feb. 1781) and Smeathman, a pupil of Rice's, both gave lessons and opened his own debating society, the Lyceum, in 1781 (Gazetteer 25 Oct., 1781). According to the Morning Chronicle 7 Apr., ‘in consequence of Prince William Henry's having expressed his desire of being present at one of our modern Schools for Elocution, he will this evening, accompanied by one of his royal brothers, and their attendants, hear the debate at the Palladium in Great Queen Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields’.

4 Richard, King, The complete modern London spy for the present year 1781 (London, 1781), p. 64Google Scholar, Harum, Scarum, Account of a debate in Coachmakers Hall (London, 1780), pp. 1–2Google Scholar, 19 Oct. letter in Ward, G. A., ed., The journal and letters of Samuel Curwen, 1773–1783 (Boston, 1864), p. 309.Google Scholar

5 St James Chronicle 3 Feb., Religious Society Morning Chronicle 4 Mar., University London Courant 16 Mar., La Belle Assemblee Gazetteer 13 May.

6 Gazetteer 25 Dec. 1776, Morning Chronicle 9 Oct., 3, 8 Nov. 1779, A short history of the Westminster Forum (London, 1781), p. 20.Google Scholar

7 The president, A short history of the Westminster Forum, p. 2.Google Scholar

8 University London Courant 28 Mar., ibid. 26 Apr., Middlesex Forum, ibid. 23 Sept., Female Congress Gazetteer 25 Dec, La Belle Assemblee London Courant 4 Apr. and two law societies Morning Chronicle 4 Mar., 15 Apr.

9 Oratorical Hall Morning Post, 11, 12 April. When, in 11 Dec. (Morning Chronicle) the New Robin Hood announced that their ‘undertaking is at the instance of many gentlemen desirous of renovating the old constitution of debating societies’ by entirely excluding women, this indicates the degree to which women had permeated all the existing societies. La Belle Assemblee London Courant 6 March.

10 Morning Post 15 April.

11 Gazetteer 19 Dec.

12 For the debates on Madan, La Belle Assemblee London Courant II, 16 Nov., King's Arms Society Gazetteer 14 Nov., 19 Dec, Christian Society Morning Chronicle 18 Nov., Religious Society of Theological Inquiry, ibid. 9 Dec, Robin Hood, ibid. 18 Dec, Coachmaker's Hall Gazetteer 27 Dec. For celibacy vs. marriage, Oratorical Society London Courant 4 April, University Theology, ibid. 15 April, Tusculanum Gazetteer 29 May, ibid.Morning Chronicle 12 June and La Belle Assemblee London Courant 14 Dec. Debates on taxes, Kings Arms Society, Gazetteer 12 Dec. and La Belle Assemblee London Courant 2 Nov. Friendship and love, Carlisle House Ladies only, ibid. 8 May, Tusculanum Morning Post 22 May, King's Arms Society Gazetteer 28 Nov.

13 Coachmaker's Hall Gazetteer 14 Nov., see also Coach naker's Hall, ibid. 2 Nov., Oratorical Society Morning Chronicle 2 May, La Belle Assemblee Londo Courant 29 April. Oratorical Academy, ibid. 4 Jan., Carlisle House, Ladies only, ibid. 8 May. Fjrtions, Kings Arms Society Gazetteer 20 Sept., advances, Coachmaker's Hall, ibid. 12 Dec. Seven questions on seduction; China Hall Society, ibid. 8 May, ibid. 1 May, ibid. 22 May, also 8 May, Coachmaker's Hall, ibid. 28 Nov., 4 Jan., King's Arms Society, ibid. 19 Dec.

14 La Belle Assemblee London Courant II Mar., ibid. 30 Dec, Female Congress Gazetteer 25 Dec, see also Female Parliament, ibid. 19 May, King's Arms Society, ibid. 3 Oct. La Belle Assemblee London Courant 23 Nov., Carlisle House Gazetteer 13 Mar., Carlisle House Ladies, ibid. 22 May, La Belle Assemblee London Courant 2 June, Coachmaker's Hall Gazetteer 18 Apr.

15 Kings Arms Society Gazetteer 3 Oct., Carlisle House, Ladies, ibid. 30 May, Morning Chronicle 14 Mar. University London Courant 5 Apr., Palladium Morning Chronicle 3 Apr., University London Courant25 Mar., La Belle Assemblee, ibid. 18 March, Lycee Francois, ibid. 12 Apr., Coachmaker's Hall Gazetteer 2, 5 Jan.

16 La Belle Assemblee London Courant 26 Oct., ibid.Morning Chronicle 21 Dec. University Ladies only London Courant 26 Apr. Female Parliament, ibid. 14, 21 Apr. The vote on the Pope question was in the negative. The Palladium Gazetteer 22 Mar., La Belle Assemblee London Courant 14 Oct., ibid. 30 Nov., Carlisle House Ladies only ibid. 29 Apr. La Belle Assemblee ibid. 19 Oct., Coachmaker's Hall Gazetteer 3 Oct., Oratorical Hall Morning Chronicle 3, 11 Apr.

17 Lyceum debates Gazetteer 12, 18 Jan., Oratorical Academy London Courant 24 Jan., Palladium Gazetteer 19 Apr., Oratorical Hall London Courant 6 Apr., Free Mason's Hall Gazetteer 14 Apr., Oratorical Academy London Courant 1 Feb. This question was also debated by the Coachmaker's Hall Society ibid. 23 Mar., Carlisle House Gazetteer 2 Mar., Coachmaker's Hall ibid. 11 April.

18 Theological Society Morning Post 1 Apr., Christian Society Morning Chronicle 18 Nov., ibid.London Courant 28 Sept., ibid.Morning Chronicle 28 Oct., University Theological Question London Courant 13 May. The Religious Association discussed this question for three consecutive weeks, ibid. 13, 20, 27 May, ibid.Morning Chronicle 27 Mar. See the advertisement of the Theological Society, ibid. 1 Dec, which speaks of the vast numbers turned away because ‘of an unexpected overflow of company’.

19 Westminster Forum London Courant 3 Jan., ibid. 3 Feb., ibid. 27 Apr., ibid. 17 Feb., ibid. 1 Apr., ibid. 8 May, Pantheon Society ibid. 13 Dec, Westminster Forum ibid. 6 Apr., Oratorical Hall London Courant 1, 6 Apr., Palladium Morning Chronicle 3 April, Coachmaker's Hall Gazetteer 18 Apr., Female Parliament London Courant 21 Apr., Tusculanum Morning Post 22 May.

20 Junius Junior, Public Advertiser 12 Jan., Morning Chronicle 11 Jan., A.B. London Courant 27 May.

21 Carlisle House London Courant 4 Feb., Summer Lyceum Gazetteer 29 May, Coachmakers Hall ibid. 27 Sept., University London Courant 16 Mar., Tusculanum Morning Post 22 May.

22 A short history of the Westminster Forum, p. 1Google Scholar, Carlisle House, St James Chronicle 19 Feb., Morning Chronicle 25 Feb., London Courant, 28 Feb., ibid. 9 Mar., St James Chronicle 27 Apr.

23 Letter to the editor, London Courant 10 March 1781, A short history of the Westminster Forum, King, Complete modem London spy, Harum Scarum, Account of a debate, School for Eloquence Morning Chronicle 5 Apr., Morning Post 3 May, 16 Dec, Morning Chronicle 27 Mar.

24 Morning Post 22 May, Morning Chronicle 17 May, St James Chronicle 11 May, Morning Chronicle 31 May, for more on actresses in debate see St James Chronicle 2 May, Gazetteer 2 May. See also Morning Chronicle 25, 28 Mar., for two long, critical letters on female oratory, signed The Ladies Critic.

25 Morning Post 15 Apr., 29 Sept. My thanks for this point to Joanna Innes who sent me the relevant excerpts from the Porteus Notebooks, Lambeth Palace MS 2099-16–29.

26 Mary Thale notes that the Coachmaker's Hall was forced to leave its premises when its landlord came under threats of prosecution. She adds that the society then met at the King's Arms Tavern, though I have been unable to find any confirming advertisements. ‘London debating societies in the 1790s’, Historical Journal, XXXII, 1 (1989), 63Google Scholar. John, Brewer, ‘The commercialization of polities’, in McKendrick, N, Brewer, J and Plumb, J. H., eds., The birth of a consumer society (London, 1982), pp. 261–2Google Scholar. Coachmaker's Hall Gazetteer 27 Sept. See also Nancy S. Struever's very important connections in her essay ‘The conversable world’, in Brian, Vickers, ed., Rhetoric and the pursuit of truth (Los Angeles, 1985), pp. 90–1.Google Scholar