Alice Mann (''née'' Burnett; 1791–1865) was a

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

-born radical and publisher. Her husband was arrested on suspicion of involvement in an armed uprising and she served a week long and a six month sentence for selling newspapers without paying the required tax.

Biography

Alice Burnett was born in Hunslet Lane, Leeds in 1791. In 1807, at the age of 16, she married James Mann, a prominent

West Riding The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

political activist and bookseller. James and Alice's book shop in Briggate appeared "to be the head quarters of sedition in this town" according to the ''

Leeds Intelligencer The ''Leeds Intelligencer'', or ''Leedes Intelligencer'', was one of the first regional newspapers in Great Britain. It was founded in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, in 1754 and first published on 2 July 1754. It was a weekly paper unt ...

''. James Mann died of

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

on 4 August 1832, leaving Alice widowed with nine children. She continued to sell books and added printing to the business. In 1833 she published an edition of ''Catechism of the Society for Promoting National Regeneration'' which aspired "to remove ... the social and commercial evils now existing". She also published work by the agitator

Richard Carlile Richard Carlile (8 December 1790 – 10 February 1843) was an important agitator for the establishment of universal suffrage and freedom of the press in the United Kingdom. Early life Born in Ashburton, Devon, he was the son of a shoemaker wh ...

, the radical Richard Oastler and William Rider's spoof life story of the publisher and politician Edward Baines titled ''The Demagogue''. In 1848 she and William Strange were publishing ''Mann’s Black Book of the British Aristocracy'' and she may have been its compiler. The book aimed to expose "the more monstrous abuses in the state and the church".

Politics

left, Alice Mann's shop is probably located on the left of this (undated) engraving of the Central Market in Leeds Mann's husband was arrested in 1817 for his presumed involvement in the armed

Pentrich rising The Pentrich Revolution (also known as the Pentrich Rising) was an armed uprising in 1817 that began around the village of Pentrich, Derbyshire, in the United Kingdom. It occurred on the night of 9–10 June 1817. While much of the planning took p ...

which led to several men being executed. Her husband was released without any formal charges being made. Mann served a prison sentence of a week in

Wakefield Prison His Majesty's Prison Wakefield is a Category A men's prison in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. The prison has been nicknamed the "Monster Mansion" due to the large number of high-profile, high-risk ...

in 1834 for selling unstamped newspapers. In January 1836 she was found guilty again of the same offence alongside the Chartist Joshua Hobson and she was fined £100. Hobson received a lesser fine of £80. In default of payment they were both imprisoned in

York Castle York Castle is a fortified complex in the city of York, England. It consists of a sequence of castles, prisons, law courts and other buildings, which were built over the last nine centuries on the south side of the River Foss. The now-ruined ...

for six months. At the trial Mann declined to pay a reduced fine and escape prison if she ceased book-selling, saying she "had no other mode of maintaining her family". Mann belonged to a network of radical printers and booksellers, notably

Abel Heywood Abel Heywood (25 February 1810 – 19 August 1893) was an English publisher, radical and mayor of Manchester. Early life Heywood was born into a poor family in Prestwich, who moved to Manchester after Heywood's father died in 1812. Abel obt ...

of Manchester and William Strange of London. Alice was involved in the

Luddite The Luddites were a secret oath-based organisation of English textile workers in the 19th century who formed a radical faction which destroyed textile machinery. The group is believed to have taken its name from Ned Ludd, a legendary weaver s ...

and Chartist movements, and she is referred to in the chapter 'Chartism in Leeds' in the book ''Chartist Studies.''

Published work

Mann’s Black Book of the British Aristocracy

* Edward Hailstone, ''Catechism of the Society for Promoting National Regeneration'' (Alice Mann, 1833) * William Rider, ''The Demagogue'' (Alice Mann, 1834) * Samuel Smiles, ''History of Ireland and the Irish People'' (1843). 1844 edition printed by William Strange in London. * S. H. Collins, ''The Emigrant’s Complete Guide to the United States, Australia, Port Stephens, Van Dieman’s Land, New Zealand, the Cape of Good Hope, and Natal; Canada, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia; and the Auckland Islands'' (3 vols. in 1: 1849–50) * Bairnsla Foak''s; Annual an Pogmoor Olmenack, be Tom Treddlehoyle'' (various editions, Alice Mann) * Charles Rodgers, ''Tom Treddlehoyle's Trip to Lunnan, to see Paxton's Great Glass Lantern'' (various editions, Alice Mann, 1851-3) * Edward Hailstone and Charles Rodgers, ''Tom Treddlehoyle's peep at t'Manchester Art Treasures Exhebishan'' (Alice Mann, 1857) * Edward Hailstone and Alice Mann, ''Mann's Black Book of the British Aristocracy'' (1867)

Biography

Politics

Published work

References

Further reading