A tax was first imposed on British newspapers in 1712. The tax was
gradually increased until in 1815 it had reached 4d. a copy. As few
people could afford to pay 6d. or 7d. for a newspaper, the tax restricted
the circulation of most of these journals to people with fairly high
incomes.
In 1816 William Cobbett began publishing
his weekly Political Register
as a pamphlet. Cobbett sold the Political
Register for only 2d. and it soon had a circulation of 40,000.
John and Leigh Hunt, the publishers of the
Examiner, paid the stamp duty but on the front page always
called it the "tax on knowledge".
Other radicals decided to ignore the law. Jonathan Wooler's Black
Dwarf was published unstamped and sold for 4d. Jonathan
Wooler used the newspaper to support Major
John Cartwright and his Hampden Club
movement.
After the
Peterloo Massacre, Lord
Castlereagh, the leader of the House of
Commons, and Lord Sidmouth, the Home
Secretary, decided to change the law in an effort to reduce the circulation
of radical newspapers and pamphlets. They persuaded Parliament to
pass the Six Acts. Two of these were aimed
at destroying the radical press.
Under the provision of one of these new laws, each publisher was compelled
to deposit a bond with the government as surety against future conviction
of seditious or blasphemous libel. The bond was £300 if the publisher
was based in London or £200 for those who published in the provinces.
Another of the Six Acts applied the 4d. stamp
duty to all journals that sold for less than 6d. As most working people
were earning less than 10 shillings a week, this severely reduced
the number of people who could afford to buy radical newspapers.
The stamp duty was also applied on journals that contained any "public
news, intelligence or occurrences, or any remarks or observations
thereon, or upon any matter in Church or State." The government
announced that it hoped that this stamp duty would stop the publication
of newspapers and pamphlets that tended to "excite hatred and
contempt of the Government and holy religion."
The tax was also applied to all journals that appeared more frequently
than every twenty-six days. Some radicals tried to overcome this tax
by converting their weekly newspapers into monthly journals. Examples
of this strategy include United Trades' Co-operative
Journal and William Carpenter's Monthly
Political Magazine.
Other radicals such as Richard Carlile
ignored the law and continued to publish his newspaper, the Republican
without paying stamp duty. Carlile was found guilty of blasphemy and
seditious libel and sentenced to three years in Dorchester Gaol and
fined £1,500. Carlile was determined not to be silenced. While
he was in prison he continued to write material for the Republican
which was now being published by his wife. Due to the publicity created
by Carlile's trial, the circulation of the newspaper increased dramatically
and was now outselling pro-government newspapers such as The
Times.
In 1821
Jane Carlile was sentenced to two years imprisonment for seditious
libel. Jane was replaced by Richard Carlile's sister, Mary, but within
six months she was also in prison for the same offence. From his prison
cell Richard Carlile called for financial support in his campaign
to continue publishing the Republican.
During the next few months over £500 a week was sent to Carlile's
shop in Fleet Street.
Carlile also asked for volunteers to sell the Republican.
The Morning Chronicle pointed
out that Carlile campaign was bound to fail as "we can hardly
conceive that mere attachment to any set of principles without any
hope of gain or advantage will induce men (in any number) to expose
themselves to imprisonment for three years." The Morning
Chronicle was wrong, during the next few couple of years over
150 men and women were sent to prison for selling the Republican.
All told, they served over 200 years of imprisonment in the battle
for press freedom.
In the 1830s men such as Henry Hetherington,
James Watson, John
Cleave, George Julian Harney and James
O'Brien joined Richard Carlile in
the fight against stamp duty. As these radical publishers refused
to pay stamp-duty on their newspapers, this resulted in fines and
periods of imprisonment.
At the beginning of 1836 the two leading unstamped radical newspapers,
the Poor Man's Guardian, and John
Cleave's Police Gazette, were selling more copies in a day
than The Times
sold all week. It was estimated at the time that the circulation of
leading six unstamped newspapers had now reached 200,000.
In the House of Commons, John
Roebuck led the campaign against taxes on newspapers. In 1836
the campaigners had their first success when the 4d. tax on newspapers
was reduced to 1d. The same year Parliament agreed to remove the tax
on pamphlets. The campaigned continued and in 1849 a group of publishers
led by Henry Hetherington formed
the Newspaper Stamp Abolition Committee. However, it was not until
1855 that the newspaper stamp duty was finally abolished.
(1)
Richard Carlile, Republican, (4th
October, 1820)
Let us then endeavour to progress in knowledge, since knowledge is
demonstrably proved to be power. It is the power knowledge that checks
the crimes of cabinets and courts; it is the power of knowledge that
must put a stop to bloody wars.
(2)
Richard Carlile, Republican, (11th
July, 1832)
The printing press has become the universal monarch and the republic
of letters will go on to abolish all minor monarchies, and give freedom
to the whole race by making it as one nation and one family.
(3)
The Poor Man's Guardian
(July, 1831)
Defiance is our only remedy; we cannot be a slave in all; we submit
to much - for it is impossible to be wholly consistent - but we will
try the power of Right against Might; we will begin by protesting
and upholding this grand bulwark of all our liberties - the Freedom
of the Press - the Press, too, of the ignorant and the Poor. we have
taken upon ourselves its protection, and we will never abandon our
post: we will die rather.
(4)
R. G. Gammage, History of the Chartist
Movement (1894)
Mr. Hetherington perceived the advantage that would accrue to
the cause by securing O'Brien as a writer, and he accordingly became
the editor of The Poor Man's Guardian, a journal which proclaimed
itself to be published in defiance of law, to try the power of right
against might, and it was through this journal that the worth of O'Brien,
as a public writer, became known and appreciated. He also contributed
powerful articles to The Twopenny Despatch, The People's
Conservative, The Destructive, and other papers. The immense
excitement which those papers caused will be well remembered by the
politicians of that period.
(5)
Letter published in the last edition of the Poor
Man's Guardian (26th December, 1831)
I am, with many more of my friends and brother Radicals, sorry
to hear that the Poor Man's Guardian is to be continued no
longer. It has been my leading star, and I have no doubt of hundreds
more like me. I hope and trust that when the name and fame of such
men as the bloodstained hero of Waterloo shall be sunk in oblivion,
or only thought of with contempt, the name of the Editor of the Poor
Man's Guardian will be celebrated with songs of joy. That you
may meet with success in your next undertaking, is the sincere wish
of a working man.
(6)
William Lovett, Life and Struggles (1876)
The contest lasted upwards of five years; during which time upwards
of five hundred persons in different parts of the kingdom suffered
imprisonment for the publication or sale of the Poor Man's Guardian,
the Republican, the Police Gazette, and other Radical publications.
William Carpenter was imprisoned for six months in King's Bench Prison;
Henry Hetherington was imprisoned three times; twice in Clerkenwell
Prison, for six months each time, and in King's Bench for twelve months.
James Watson was imprisoned twice at Clerkenwell Prison, for six months
each time: John Cleave, for two months in Tothill Fields Prison; Abel
Heywood, of Manchester, was imprisoned for three months; Mrs. Mann
of Leeds, three months, and several others.
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